Growing Together Again
by pookieortega
Summary: After the rebellion, Katniss is alone and lost in her thoughts. Prim is gone, Peeta hates her, and Haymitch is too drunk to function. She is alone. Until the one day when the boy with the bread comes back to her. This is the story how katniss and peeta grow together again.
1. This Is Where I Stand

Hey guys! I wrote stories that skipped this part and went to when they were already together but I want to go back over this part of growing together. Hope you like this. And if you want to get straight to the part where they are together,read watching over,it's officially finished and I will have a sequel to it too!

Katniss pov

Prim is gone.

Peeta is mentally gone.

My mom left the district.

And now I'm stuck here. Alone with no one but Buttercup and Haymitch.

I wish I would have realized how I felt about him earlier. Then he would be here, and best of all Prim would be here. My beautiful, perfect Prim. She deserves to be alive, not me. All I've done is take lives. She saved them, she was good for the world, she should be alive!

I lay there in my bed crying into a pillow when I hear a small meow. When I turn I see Buttercup as he runs to me and starts rub up against my hand wanting me to pet him. Though I've never been fond of this cat, we have an understanding of each other. He doesn't hiss at me anymore and I don't threaten to cook him.

"What is it you stupid cat,"I sniffle. He meows again and I pet him so that he'll stop bothering me. Then I hear a knock on the door. At first I ignore it, but soon Buttercup keeps annoying me so I decide to get up and see who it is.

My first thought is Greasy Sae. She always checks on me and attempts to get me to eat. But she just walks in now. It could be Haymitch, but I doubt it. He's too drunk out of his mind to function anymore. My next thought is Peeta, but no it's not him. It can't be him. He hates me too much.

Peeta returned to district 12 a month ago. But I haven't seen him yet, I've only heard about it once when haymitch was actually kinda aware of everything. But I know that he still hates me. If he didn't, he would have said something by now.

When I open the door, there's no one there. So I decide to walk out onto the porch. As I do I catch a glance of his beautiful blonde hair as he walks across his lawn into his house...

All I can think of is how wrong I am. There's still a part of him that wants to see me. If there wasn't, he wouldn't have knocked on my door.

A/N I know this is a short beginning chapter,but they will get longer,much longer. Please review I want to hear what you think!


	2. Hope, Spark, Oblivion, and Normality

Wow you guys are amazing! I got so many reviews and I love it!

Katniss pov

The next morning I actually get up. When I walk downstairs I see Greasy Sae making breakfast. She turns and smiles saying,"good morning girly. I'm surprised to see you up!"

"Yeah, me too,"I say as I sit at the table. She sets a plate down in front of me and I actually eat it. When she sits down across from me, she brings up some conversation. "You know, I take care of the boy now too. He doesn't have anyone besides Haymitch and...You. He asks about you every morning now. I really believe he's getting better."

"He does?"I ask bewildered.

"He does. I'm going to go take care of him after, I'll keep you updated on his progress."

"Thanks Sae,"I say.

"No problem girly,"she says. Soon she leaves and I walk her out the door. I watch from the porch as he opens up the door and hands her a loaf of bread. She smiles and walks away. I thought she took care of him?

He must not want her to take care of him anymore. He really is getting better.

A week later I get a call from Greasy Sae's granddaughter saying that she's sick. I thank her for informing me and decide to go hunting so that I can bring her a few squirrels.

Going out into the forest reminds me of Gale. I miss having a best friend. But he decided to go to district two, so I haven't seen him since...since..No katniss, he didn't kill her, it was an accident. I've been trying to convince myself that he didn't kill her. But it's still hard not to blame him.

Though I haven't been hunting in forever, I still have a great shot and hit 5 squirrels, 6 birds,and a turkey. When I get to saes house,her granddaughter lets me in. "Hi Greasy Sae. I brought you a few squirrels and some birds. I hope you get better."

"Why thank you girly, but you didn't have to do that,"she says.

"And you don't have to take care of me, Sae, you don't know how much I appreciate you. Please, it was no trouble."I say and she smiles.

Then there's another knock on the door. Her granddaughter gets it as I put the meat away. Right as I close the refrigerator, someone walks in. I turn to see Peeta with bread in his hands. We both freeze.

When I look into his eyes,they are the beautiful oceans of blue, unlike the last few times I've seen him with dark black holes. He doesn't smile, but he doesn't look angry. It's almost as if he barley sees me.

But then he snaps out of whatever he was thinking and says,"hello Katniss."

I stand there for a moment, shocked that I haven't thrown him into a flashback."Hello, Peeta,"I say. For a split second, I see what looks like a smile. But it disappears all too fast.

"It's been a while,"he says slowly,"how have you been?"

"Okay,"I lie.

"Oh come on Katniss, after everything nobody is ever okay,"he almost spits. I tense up. It's like being in a room with a snake, you never know when it's going to strike.

"Fine, I haven't been okay. P-prim is gone, my mom is gone, Gale is gone,...and...You were gone." I feel the held in tears so I walk out and say a quick goodbye to Sae, then take off running. I don't even realize where I'm running, until I find myself at the lake. The summer sun shines off of the clear water. I sit looking at my reflection, thinking yet again how Prim should be alive and not me. But I also can't deny the fact that Peeta was there, and actually wanted to know how I feel. I will never be able to ignore the fact that nobody can understand what I went through. Except Peeta, who not only went through it but with me,and five times worse.

There is still a tiny spark of hope that things can be good again,well actually for once. It was always there, just covered by dictatorship and eventually oblivion, but it's there. And things can be normal, I hope.


	3. Flowers and the Memories

Katniss pov

The next week comes by and I still haven't seen Peeta since our encounter. But then there is a knock on the door. I rush to get it and when I open it up I see a tin box with a note. I look up and see him walking across his yard. I don't even think about it when I yell out for him to wait. He stops and then slowly turns around. I look down at the note while he walks over. It reads...

_Dear Katniss,_

_I'm sorry about upsetting you yesterday. I didn't realize how hard it still is for you to talk about...well, you know. I've been baking a lot so I made you some cookies. I'm sorry for everything._

_-Peeta_

When I look up,he is standing on the steps to my porch. "I just wanted to say thank you for the cookies."

"Anytime..."He says slowly, his face looks as if he is sorting out something. Like an animal deciding wether to attack or to trust what stands in front of it. Then he says,"I'll see you around," and stiffly walks away. I so badly want to yell out to him again, and ask him to come inside but I can't. He still hates me and I can tell that he at least still hates me a little bit.

I sigh and go back into my house and lay down with the note in my hands. I think back to the first time I saw him. It was the day before I saw him at saes...

_I wake up to the noise of a shovel._

_"Your back," I say._

_"Dr. Aurelius wouldn't let me leave the capitol," Peeta says,"by the way, he said he can't keep pretending he's treating you forever. You have to pick up the phone."_

_He looks well. Thin and covered with burn scars like me, but his eyes have lost the clouded torture look. _

_"What are you doing?"_

_"I went to the woods this morning and dug up these. For her,"he says. "I thought we could plant them along the side of the house."_

_I look at the bushes,the clods of dirt hanging from their roots and I catch my breath as the word rose registers. I'm about to yell vicious things at Peeta, when the fool name comes to me. Not plain rose, but evening primrose. I give Peeta a nod of assent and hurry back into the house..._

A week passes without seeing him, but then there's a knock on my door again. When I answer it, it's not just a tin of cookies, but Peeta stands there with a loaf of bread.

"Hi,"I say softly.

"Is it okay if I come in?"He asks.

"Of course,"I say and move so he can come in. He sets the loaf down in the kitchen then says,"so, I wanted to talk to you"

I sit down waiting patiently for what he has to say. He sits across from me at the table and says,"so I have been talking to Dr. Aurelius, and we were able to sort out my thoughts more. He said that I should talk to you because you have the answers to my confusion...but that's not all I came to do...the silence now is deafening, I have no family or friends and I miss you. I wanna be friends again Katniss."

"Peeta...I miss you too. I miss the way things use to be between us,"I say. It's weird admitting my feelings. But he smiles. With that I realize that I don't have to be alone anymore.

"Is it okay if you help me? I have some questions."

"Sure."

"You saved me in the arena, real or not real?"

"Real."

"You risked your life to get the medicine that would save me, real or not real?"

"Real."

"You cut off my leg."

"Not real Peeta, the mutt bit your leg and you bled. I wanted to wrap a tirnequet but I needed my arrow to kill Cato."

"Okay, that one seemed kinda shiny. You never loved me real or not real."

"Not at first but, well it complicated..."

"Real or not real!"he says more forcefully.

"Not real, I was just too late,"I say.

His face changes but I can't make out what he's thinking. Soon he leaves back home. That night my nightmares are about the first games. I know I will have to be faced with these memories to help Peeta. And I will help him.


	4. The Forgotten Book

Katniss pov( this is a few days later)

I shoot up wide awake from a nightmare in tears, but there's no one to calm me. So I wrap my arms around my legs and rock back and forth. Around six I get up and go to my window. I open it up and step onto my roof. Then I go and sit near the edge, looking at the horizon. It's an orange. I think of Peeta because it's his favourite colour.

Then I see him, he walks out of his house and over to mine. He doesn't notice me until I yell out,"Peeta!" He looks up and laughs. He walks to where he is in front of me on my grass.

"What are you doing up there?"He asks

"I couldn't sleep,"I say with a shrug. He nods,"yeah, me too." I pat the spot next to me and he starts to walk out of my view. After a few minutes I hear the door to my room open. I look back to see Peeta step through the window. He sits next to me.

"Hey,"I say.

"Hey. So is this what you always do when you can't sleep?"

"Mmm...sometimes, you see I don't have anything to keep the nightmares away, so when I wake up I need something to take my mind off of it. So after I finally calm down from it, I walk onto the roof. The view is calming, especially since I can see the forest from here. All the green trees and birds...It's actually nice,"I say.

"Yeah, I understand what you mean. After I wake up from my nightmares I get up and walk around my house and usually end up in my art room, so I paint. Or bake, whatever helps to me,"he says.

He gets a thought and says,"I kept the nightmares away,real or not real?"

"Real, on the victory tour you would hear me scream, then run and wake me and I would ask you to stay."

"You didn't love me during that time, real or not real?"

"Umm, it's kinda both. I wasn't sure of how I felt."

He nods instead of pressing forward for an answer. Then he asks,"do you know how you feel now?"

"I..uh..kinda."

He nods. For the past few days we have been hanging out more. I help him with his questions and he keeps me company. I decide that I'm actually hungry so I stand up and put out a hand. He takes my hand and I help him up. When we get into the kitchen, I start to make something but he stops me and says he'll make breakfast.

When we sit down and eat, Peeta notices something on the table. He picks it up and opens it."It's the book,"he says looking at the pictures he drew when I hurt my ankle."Yeah, you remember that?"

"Yeah, this memory isn't shiny. It really happened."

"Yeah, I hurt my ankle because the-" I start.

"The fence turned back on and you had to get back over the fence. I helped you get everywhere by carrying you, but we spent most of our time on this book,"he finishes.

"Yeah,"I say with a smile.

"Hey, I have an idea. We should do what we did with the plants but for the people we've lost, so we don't forget everything with time."

I think of Prim and Finnick. That brings tears to my eyes and I say,"that's a great idea Peeta."

He looks up to see my tears and he gives me a sad smile. Then he wipes a tear from my face. Even after everything he's been through, he is still very caring. He is still my boy with the bread.

After we eat he runs to his house to get his art stuff. When he comes back,I am sitting on the couch with a few pictures."What's that?"He asks.

"I have some pictures, we could use pictures for the ones we have pictures of and paint for the ones we don't have pictures of,"I explain.

"That's a perfect idea, Katniss," he says sitting down. He's sitting really close to me, and I'm not use to it. I've been alone for so long, and Peeta has been scared to see me for so long that having him so close is so foreign to me.

"Can I look at the pictures?"He asks

"Sure,"I say as I hand them to him.

He looks at the first one with confusion."Who's this?"He asks.

"That's my dad, he died when I was eleven in a mine explosion."

"That's when I threw you the bread, real or not real?"

"Real. I almost died, but that saved us, Peeta. That's what we do, we save each other. We protect each other."

"Yeah."

We put the picture of my dad in the book, and I write everything I remember about him. He hands me the next picture to pit in. It's the picture of Finnick and Annie's son. Then I hand it to him so that he can draw Finnick.

"Finnick should have lived, he deserves to live,"I say,"I wish I would have gone back down and dragged him with us before the mutt bit his head."

"It's not your fault, Katniss,"Peeta says rubbing his hand down my arm. I think of all the amazing things Finnick was, and write them down. I start to cry silently as I write. We get through many people, but I never get to Prim. It's still too hard. We get through his family and we also get to Cinna. By the time we finish its late.

"I should get home...I'll come back tomorrow morning,okay?"He asks.

I nod and say,"okay."

Then he pulls me in for a hug. I can feel my heart beating feverishly as I struggle to keep a breath. He ever so lightly presses his lips to my hair, but I feel it. Then all too soon, he's out the door.

That reminds me that everything can be normal again and we can have a relationship.


	5. The Lock Down

I love all the attention that this is getting! Please tell me how I'm doing on a rate of 1-10 and if there's anything I should add that might be really interesting to you. I am very open to ideas! But I do have plans for this story.

Katniss pov

One night as Peeta and I are working on the book, we hear a siren. Since the rebellion, the fence has been knocked down. But that fence wasn't just keeping us in but animals out too. This siren means that something wandered into the district. I'm not just talking about a turkey or a deer either, we have plenty of hunters now that can easily use those for game, but a wild dog, wolf, bear, or a vicious mutt let out into the woods from the capitol.

The siren also means that the district is under lock down, meaning that no one is aloud to be out, especially since its night making it easier to be prey. So only the peacekeepers are out to shoot it. Normally since its night that's not too much of a problem because most people are asleep. But Peeta is at my house.

It's around 10,when we hear it. We sit in silence for a bit, we can hear a faint howl. This is definitely a mutt and we've had all too much experience with mutts. Peeta grabs my hand and squeezes it hard, when I look into his eyes, they are not azure but not dark. He's in the midst of fighting a flashback.

"Not real Peeta, not real,"I say,"focus on my voice, okay? It's okay, it's not real." This is the second time this has happened. Luckily we haven't had a bad one yet. He squeezes his eyes shut and then pops them open wide again. He's back.

"Katniss, it's-it's a-"

"I know Peeta, it's okay now. It can't hurt us if we're inside,"I say. He nods, "I'm going to have to stay here tonight, it's going to be long until they release us."He states.

I stand up pulling him since our hands are clasped. "I'll just sleep on the couch," he says.

I huff,"no Peeta! Well...I do have extra bedrooms...upstairs...across from my room."

He follows me upstairs and I bring him to the room closest to mine. Then I realize what room I brought him into. It's Prim's room, still left the way she had it. It has collected dust by now, but I can't even pack up everything and put it in a safe place, so it stays the same. Like its frozen in time. Or a memorial of who she was.

Her medical book is open on her desk. Her hair brush filled with blond strands, even her clothes are strewn on the floor. The window open slightly. Her pillow has an indent where she slept, the bed ruffled. This is how she left her room. This was how she left it when she left the world. These are the last things she actually felt joy with. In district 13 she wasn't normal, this was the last place she was herself in. And it's all to overwhelming.

I break down crying and Peeta wraps his arms around me before I drop to the ground, my body limp and wracking in tears. He picks me up and brings me to my room where he lays me on the bed. He gets up to leave but I grab his arm and say,"stay? Please."

"Of course."

He lays with me until I calm, whispering sweet nothingness into my ears. It's oddly comforting. After I've calmed down he says,"I'm sorry Katniss, I know this isn't the best time, but I noticed that I smell really bad. Can I take a shower?"

"Of course you can. There should be towels in the bathroom,"I say and he thanks me. I hear the focit turn on and water running. I think back to when I would ask him to stay during the victory tour. How things have changed since then...

My many thoughts are interrupted by Peeta yelling to me. I didn't realize I was lost in my thoughts for so long. The bathroom door is closed, but I hear him yell out,"Katniss, come here!"

I run to the door but my mind catches up to me and I come to an abrupt stop. I crack the door open and say,"Peeta?"

"Katniss, I need some help...my prosthetic is on a shelf and I slipped and can't get up. There also weren't any towels. So I need you to get a towel and help me get my prosthetic."

I go to the cabinet with the extra towels and grab him one. When I enter the bathroom my eyes are glued shut."Okay, tell me where to go,"I say. He laughs and says,"I don't mind if you see me."

"I do."I mumble.

"You are too pure!"he laughs. I think back to our first games when I had to clean him and he called me that. "I am not pure!"I say a little irritated. He laughs and says,"then open your eyes!"he challenges. I have to admit, that would be easier and then I could get out quicker. But what if I see him?

I decide to take a risk and open my eyes. Little did I realize I was facing the shower. He lays there on the floor of the shower, and since the glass is covered in water drops most of him is blurred a bit. But some features are so prominent. His eyes, his chest, his scars, and his cocky grin.

I quickly find his prosthetic and hand it to him, averting my eyes from his lower half and keeping them on his eyes. He puts it on and starts to stand, I catch a quick glance but move my eyes before I truly see anything. He laughs at my blush as I hold out the towel and look away from him.

"I'm covered now, thanks."he says so I turn back to him and hand him his clothes and leave. He walks back into my room, wearing only his boxers, just like during the tour. His beautiful hair dripping drops onto his perfect chest.

I get up saying I need a shower. I walk straight into the bathroom and strip, I take my shower and as soon as I get out I realize that there aren't any towels, I was so caught up in my thoughts that I completely forgot.

I cross my arms across my chest and put on my panties, open the door and peak half of me out."Peeta!"I say grabbing his attention. He turns and says"I think you're missing some clothes there."

"Will you get a towel from the hall?"I ask

"Hmm, I don't know? I mean I did tell you there were no towels in there, but you didn't listen so I don't think I should."He jokes.

"Peeta!"I huff he laughs and says,"I did say so."

"And you say I'm impossible!"I say agitated. I make sure my peaks are covered and run out from the bathroom. He laughs and says,"I was about to get up and get you a towel you know? I was just joking."

"Too late now,"I say and wrap the towel around me then walk back into the room. I go to the dresser and get my pyjamas. They are a simple shirt with boyshorts underwear. I go back to the bathroom and completely change. When I come out he is laying there with his hands clasped on his stomach.

I get in bed next to him and say,"you are impossible." He whispers in my ear,"I'm sorry, I was just joking",then brushes his lips against them for a split second, but then they are gone.

He opens his arms for me and I get as close to him as I can."Good night,"I say into his chest."Good night, Katniss,"he says into my hair. With that I wait for my nightmares to come but they never do. When I wake up he is still asleep.

I look at the clock, it's 11. We slept in! I think of how I didn't have any nightmares last night. I stare at his blond curls and think of how he needs a haircut. Soon he stirs as I touch his hair. His eyes are laced with sleep and he yawns."Good morning, Katniss. Any nightmares?"

"No, you?"I ask.

"No," he smiles, then looks at the clock and says,"wow, no wonder we slept in so late, it's already 11!"

"I know, huh?"

"What do you want for breakfast?"He asks when we are downstairs. "Cheese buns!"I say like a little kid. He laughs and says,"I figured."

"Do you think they let up the lock down yet?"

"I don't know, I guess we'll just have to see if they killed the...uh...animal."

"Yeah,"he says,"animal."

"Let me go check,"I say and run upstairs. What I see is horrific when I look out my window from my room. There is no one out, but what I see is several huge mutts. The same type from our first game. I am on the roof when I see that most of them are in the main square. But then I one right below, walking the streets of the victors village. I gasp and it turns to see me.

It goes to jump up at me, and I am too late, it's claw barely gets hold of my ankle. I run much as I can to the window as the mutt tries to jump up. I get my bow and arrows and run to where I can see it. I pierce it mid jump right in the eye and it drops to the ground dead.

As soon as I get in the house I collapse because of pain. I can hear his heavy tread up the stairs as he yells,"Katniss?! Katniss?! I heard noise are you okay?!"

"Oh my God! What happened to your leg?!"He says dragging me from the window. "There was a mutt! It was bellow me and tried to get me. I was late on running and it caught my leg. I shot it, it's dead now...there's more."

"Let me help you, what do I do?"He asks.

"Go to the closet downstairs. There's a first aid kit. Get it for me,"I say. He runs as fast as his leg will allow and soon he is back. I start to do what I remember seeing my mom do when people would come with mining accidents.

"Okay, now I just need you to carry me downstairs. To the kitchen table,"I say and he nods. "I had to carry you when you hurt your ankle before the second game, real or not real?"He asks

"Real."

"Funny how history repeats itself in the tiniest ways, huh?"

"Yeah,"I say in thought.

A/N oh no what's with panem? There was lot of humour and drama in this. Please review what you think of this chapter.


	6. The First Kiss

Katniss pov

Peeta dragged me to the doctor's and it turns out it did more than scratch my ankle. My whole ankle is broken but my adrenaline made it so that I didn't feel it that much. Peeta has decided to stay at my house to help me and we have finished the book, besides Prim.

"Good morning,"he says when I open my eyes. I smile at him and he says,"here do you need me to..."

"Yeah..."I say with a shy smile. He picks me up and brings me to the bathroom. When I'm done I crawl to the sink to wash my hands. Then I crawl my way up to the sink then call Peeta. He slowly walks in and sees me on the sink and laughs uncontrollably,"you are.."He shakes his head still laughing. He scoops me into his arms and I snuggle up to him.

Normally I hate needing help, but with Peeta I kinda like it. He flashes me a brilliant smile and I smile back. He brings me to the kitchen and sets me on the counter. "So what do you want for breakfast?"

I give him a devious smile and he says,"cheese buns?" I laugh and say,"yes of course."He rolls his eyes and turns around against the counter and puts his arms behind him implying that I get on for a piggy back ride.

I crawl onto his back and he starts to run to the table. But right as he is about to hit it, he turns and runs to the couch. He then throws us both onto the couch. We are a tangle of limbs and laughter.

"I didn't land on your ankle did I?"He asks.

"No, no,"I say and put my forehead to his. I place my finger to his lips and trace them. Then he leans forward and presses his lips to mine. His lips are soft and warm, unlike my own that are cracked. His move fast and gracefully. Then his leave my lips and go to my neck. I lean my head back and let his lips ghost over my ear.

Then he moves back to my face and kisses every inch of it. I lean forward and lock his lips with mine again. He wraps his arms around me and I move so that I'm more on him so he doesn't fall off the couch.

I'm definitely not the first to pull away,but I am a bit thankful because I was losing air. His eyes bore into mine, and I'm tempted to kiss him again but I don't. Instead we stare at each other's beautiful features.

"Katniss..."He says breathily

I run my fingers through his hair and say,"Peeta..."

He closes his eyes and then takes a deep breath. When he opens them he asks,"this isn't for the cameras, real or not real."

"Real, this is all real,"I say. He smiles and says,"good,"then leans in and kisses me again. I lightly moan as his tongue slips into my mouth. Sadly my stomach growls right as it gets more heated and he pulls away saying,"guess I should make breakfast."

"Okay,"I say out of breath. He gives me a huge smile and then he kisses my forehead. He walks into the kitchen and I let out a huge breath. Soon Peeta comes out with freshly baked cheese buns.

My face lights up and so does his. He sits right next to me and wraps his arm around my shoulder. "Your cheese buns,"he says happily. "Thank you,"I say. When we are finished eating he brings me up to charge and then changes himself. He sets me down on the couch and then gives me a sad smile. "I have to go to the hob and trade for some spices and herbs, do you have any furs I could trade?"

"Ummm...I don't know? Let me check will you bring me to the cabinet?"I ask. He turns so that he gives me a piggy back ride. When he gets me to the cabinet, I pull out a few furs.

"Do you want to come with me?"He asks.

"But Peeta, I can't walk and...your leg. Won't it hurt it carrying me there and back? I don't want to hurt you,"I say sheepishly.

"Katniss, I carry pounds and pounds of flour. Or at least I do sometimes, now. You weigh nothing, don't worry,"he says and scoots me up on his back so that I don't slip off.

"Okay"

He hands me a bag with bread and the furs are in my other hand. I notice his brilliant smile and I ask,"what are you so happy about?"

"Well, it's such a beautiful day. I have a beautiful person on my back-"

"I'm not beautiful-"

"Who says I was talking about you?"He says and I bust up laughing. I lay my head down on his shoulder and close my eyes. I feel him chuckle and he says,"but you really are beautiful, no matter what anyone thinks."

I decide not to comment but I do put my face in the crook of his neck and breath in his beautiful but masculine scent. After a few minutes he nudges my head with his and says,"we're here"

"Where to first?"He asks

"How about Greasy Sae? We could trade some fur to her."

"Of course,"Peeta says and walks to her booth.

"Oh hello boy,"she says,"oh and hello girly. Happy to see the two of you."

"Hello Sae, are you feeling any better?"Peeta asks her."Oh most definitely. Thank you, Peeta,"she says.

I smile at how amazing he is,always so nice and thoughtful. We trade and get some spices from her. Then we go to Robbie who has herbs and some other supplies that we need.

I notice people staring at us, but I couldn't care less. Soon we are home and he lays me down on the couch."I need to go back to my house for more clothes. But I'll be back as soon as I can."

"Okay, I'll see you soon," I say.

He steps out and then I see Haymitch walk in with a drink in hand."Hello sweetheart,"he says and sits across from me. "What did you do to the boy? Hump him till he went cross eyed? I've never seen him so happy!"

"NO! For your information, we haven't had sex, Haymitch."I say blushing,"I only kissed him."

"Ohhh, that makes more sense. You're leading him on."

"No I'm not, Haymitch,"I say

"So you love him,"he states. I'm at a loss for words because I don't know if I love him. I know I like him a lot, I know I care for him. Is that love?

I didn't even realize that I said all that out loud until Haymitch says,"I can't call it, that's up to you,"then he gets up and leaves. As he's walking out I yell,"Damn you Haymitch and your wisdom!"

"Anytime, sweetheart!"

Peeta walks in with a smile and a bag on clothes. He sets the clothes down and comes to lay with me. Then a thought occurs to me.

"Do you want to move in?"


	7. The Pink Thong

Katniss pov

"Do you want to move in?"

At first he looks shocked then he smiles,"I would love to."

Then he leans forward to kiss me. Then he pulls away and says,"I should get my stuff." He tries to get up but I grab his hand and say,"forgetting something?"He laughs and says,"but your hurt? I don't think you should be carrying anything."

"I may not be able to walk well, but I can still pack." I say as he turns so that his back is facing me. I climb on his back. He carries me to his house and then says,"I guess we'll start with my room."

When we get to his room he lightly sets me on his bed. He goes to get boxes and then hands some to me."So what do you want me to pack up?"

"Well, I guess I could put a chair by the dresser and you could pack up some clothes while I get other things,"he says and sets down the chair. I attempt to crawl over but he picks me up and twirls me around saying,"oh no you don't!"

"Ugh, Peeta I can crawl."

"Not gonna happen,"he says in a sing song voice. I laugh and he sets me down on the chair. Then he goes into the bathroom to pack what he has in there. After a few minutes of packing, I get to his underwear. As I'm packing it up, I find a bright pink man thong.

I bust up laughing and nearly fall out of my chair. He runs in asking,"what's so funny?"and I just laugh harder and hold them up. He turns really red and says,"oh, those...Yeah.."

"Care to explain?"I ask

"Well,after our 'wedding' announcement, as a joke my brothers got me this. I wanted to throw them away but, as weird and humiliating as it is, it's the only thing I have of them. But oh God I can't believe you saw those."

"I have to admit, this isn't the weirdest thing saw,"I say and he laughs and comes to stand by me. He takes them out of my hands and says,"they always tried to get me to wear them, but I wouldn't. "

"Oh, now we can't have that,"I say with a devious grin and a playful tone. He turns even more red and says,"NO Katniss! No way"

I laugh and say,"not even once? Just for a second?"

"Ugh, Katniss!"Peeta moans. "Please Peeta, just once?"I have to admit, I'm curious. "Katniss!"Peeta says"I don't-I Katniss."

"It's just you and me, I'll be the only one to see, just once. Please?"I say and he lets out a huge breath. "Fine," he says and I get a smile of success. He takes it and goes into the bathroom.

When he comes out, he is only in the Speedo. I bust up laughing and he says,"that's it! I'm putting pants on!"

"No no!"I say"I'm sorry I won't laugh, just come back out."

"Ugh, fine,"he says and walks out. He puts his arms up and spins around slowly. I cover my mouth and hold in everything. He walks over to me and stands right in front of me."Are you happy?"

"Yes, very happy,"I say with a smile. He leans down and kisses me then says,"I'm putting on normal underwear now I can't take this,"he runs back to the bathroom and soon comes out in his normal clothes, but no shirt.

"So when do I get to see you in something like that?"He says jokingly."Ha! Never!"I say."oh, now we can't have that."

"It's not like I own anything like that anyways,"I challenge.

"Oh don't worry, I'll find something embarrassing for you to wear,"he says with a wink. I groan and throw my head back. He laughs and then goes to pack the rest of his room. When I'm done packing his clothes he scoops me up and says,"now for my art room."

When he sets me down I see many beautiful paintings and supplies everywhere. He hands me a box and says,"you could pack whatever's on the couch."

Soon we have his art room packed,so that leaves the kitchen. He says,"this will probably take the longest."

After many hours we finally have his kitchen packed. He takes as much boxes as he can while I sit at his house. I wish I could help but he won't let me with my ankle. Soon he is done and comes to get me.

"Ready?"He asks

"Ready."

He picks me up and throws me over his shoulder. "Peeta!"I yell because it's so unexpected. Then he lays me down on the couch saying,"I'm so happy that we're living together."

"Yeah me too."


	8. A Special Place

Katniss pov

Peeta and I have finally finished unpacking...two months later. The good thing is my ankle is finally healed which means I can hunt again, I can smell the fresh scent of pine needles and musk, and best of all, I can see my father's lake.

Peeta has been working so hard to get everything unpacked and put away these last few months and I was only able to help him this week because that's when I was allowed to. Even now he doesn't want me to do much. He deserves to relax for a day, actually he deserves to relax for the rest of his life, but he would never do that. That's when I make my mind up. He's coming to the lake.

I get up from the bed as carefully as I can, so that I don't wake Peeta. I kiss his forehead lightly and head downstairs. I find some bread Peeta baked yesterday, crackers, cheese, and some meat that I caught and cooked yesterday and pack it in a basket. Then I grab a blanket and then a bottle of wine that was in the cabinet. When I go back upstairs, I braid my hair and put on an orange blouse and some pants with my hunting boots and jacket. I figured that since I'm doing something nice for him, I might as well look nice.

I walk over to his side of the bed and get on my knees so that my face is by his. I start to brush kisses on his face until his eyes flutter open. He smiles brightly with sleep dripped all over his features."You're in a good mood,"he jokes.

I just return a smile and excitedly tell him,"I'm taking you somewhere special. It's so private, and special that your the first person I've ever shown,"he laughs nervously and blushes.

"Katniss, I know our relationship is moving fast and that we're sleeping in the same bed and all, but I don't want you to fell pressured to show me more of yourself than I can already see. I don't want you to regret anything."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, Peeta. No that's not what I was talking about. I'm taking you to the lake. It's a special place only me and my dad have gone to. I want you to see it."

"OH! Oh God I'm sorry Katniss, I just, I thought that, and you know, I'm sorry,"he stutters. I kiss his soft lips and say,"you don't have to apologize, Peeta."

He nervously laughs it off as I pull him out of bed and wrap my arms around him, needing to feel the closeness of his touch. I bit my bottom lip as I gaze into his eyes. He presses a soft kiss on my lips and says,"I love you Katniss."

I am stuck. I know I can't live without Peeta and that I need his love. But is that love? I care about him so much,and I want to protect him. I would kill anyone who threatens his life, is that love? I can't look him in the eyes, I want so badly to say those words, but what if I'm wrong? What if this isn't love? I can't hurt him again. Plus everyone I love is dead or distant because of pain. I can't lose him. Not again.

I see a mixture of disappointment and understanding in his eyes when I look up, and I feel guilty for causing him that pain even when I'm not trying. He sighs and explains,"it's okay Katniss, you don't have to say it back. I know you don't mean the silence in a bad way. I can see it in your eyes."I go to apologize to Peeta but he shakes his head saying,"I know how you truly feel, Katniss,"then kisses my forehead.

I feel so confused. On one hand,there's a giant weight on my chest for not saying it back, but on the other hand, I feel like the pressure is gone because he sees right through me. How should I react?

When I turn back to him he is getting dressed. So I just leave silently. I grab my bow and arrows just in case before we leave. There's something going on with panem, mutts are coming out from everywhere. We've had 3 lock downs from wolf mutts this year!

"Ready?"I ask

"What all this?"He replies a little surprised. I just smile and say,"you'll see, it's just a few things." I take his hand and hand him the basket, then pick up my bow. We walk hand in hand until we are at what was the fence.

A/N so I realized that I wanted the lake to be the next chapter:p anyways please review I need to hear from you guys. Also any ideas on what's happening to panem? I wanna hear what you guys think is going on! Also I wanna hear if I portrayed katniss's inner monologue about her love in a good way? Sorry for so much questions,but I really wanna know! Thanks


	9. The Lake

Katniss pov

We arrive at the lake at the perfect time. It's the perfect time for lunch and its hot enough to swim. "So this is the lake my dad use to take me to when I was little,"I say taking his hand.

"It's beautiful,"he replies, looking at it in awe. He wraps his arms around me from behind and rests his chin on my shoulder. Then he kisses my cheek, chin, and neck, then he reaches down to kiss my shoulder.

I turn around and wrap my arms around his neck. "Katniss, thank you for showing me this beautiful place. It's almost as beautiful as you,"he says.

"And I thought the buns were cheesy,"I snort.

He laughs and says,"but it's true. You are the most brilliant, beautiful, courageous person I've ever met."

"I'm not beautiful...But you Peeta, you are amazing, handsome, caring, perfect, and.. and you are so loving."I say as I kiss him deeply. "Oh Katniss,"he sighs. Then I smile and say,"shall we eat?"

"Sure,"he says. I pull out all our food and he asks,"wine?"

"Yup. I thought that would taste good,"I reply. He opens it up and takes a swig, followed by a small cough. "It's a bit...weird. but good."

I take a swig too."Yeah it is kinda weird. I think it's an acquired taste though."

We start to eat and take turns drinking from the bottle. When we finish eating we are about done with the bottle. By this time we are both rambling off and a little tipsy. He is betting I can't shoot an Apple off his head and I'm betting he can't come up with something that tastes better than the best thing in the world, cheese buns.

Little did we know, under this state that we are highly capable of doing that and more. "Okay, okay. I'm a bit scared of you, so I'm going to hold this bun, and you have to shoot it. If you do, I'll kiss you, and if you don't...uh...I'll still kiss you."

I laugh uncontrollably and run to get my bow. He stands by the tree holding out the cheese bun. I aim, take a breath, and shoot. As usual it's a perfect and it pins the bun to the tree behind it. We both laugh and he says,"your prize."

I run up to him and start to make out with him. His tongue slips into my mouth and we both fall. He kisses my neck and says,"I knew you could do that the whole time!"

"Peeta, Peeta, Peeta,"I say,"hand me the wine." He reaches over and gets the second bottle we brought. I take a swig and he does too. Then I drag him to the edge of the water and say,"let's go swimming."

"What-what do I wear?" He stutters. I smile and strip down to my underwear and bra."just your underwear," I say nonchalantly. He strips down too and we both get in. We swim and then pass out...

I wake up on top of Peeta in only our soaking underwear, his hand is on my ass. It's almost night time and I have a booming headache. "Peeta, Peeta wake up,"I say. He sits up and asks,"what happened?"

"I don't really remember, it's all blurry,"I say as I grab our clothes. We pack up and by the time we're home is very late. I'm half way naked, getting ready to take a shower when I start to get sick. Peeta runs in to hold my hair and sooth me.

After I lean back against the tub with my fingers in my hair. If I wasn't so sick, I'd actually care to cover my chest, but it's just Peeta so I don't really care if he sees me half naked as I'm puking up my guts.

"Lets never get drunk off of wine again,"I moan as I curl up to Peeta. He awkwardly fumbles to put his arms around me and then says"okay. Here,let me help you." He picks me up and sets me on the toilet as he starts a bath. Then when the bath is drawn, he helps me out of my clothes, never losing eye contact, and sets me in the bath. After that he quickly gets out of the bathroom.

I lay there in the bath for nearly an hour letting the warm water wash over my body and calm me. There is a knock on the door and Peeta pokes his head in but doesn't look my direction.

"Are you okay Katniss?"

"I don't really know,"I say,"come sit next to me."

"What?" He asks confused.

"You know on the side of the tub."I say patting the side. He walks in, covering his eyes and I laugh,"you don't have to do that." He slowly lowers his hand and I smile weakly at him. He sits next to the tub and takes my hand in his. He still doesn't look at me though.

"How are you feeling now?"He asks.

"My stomach has settled down, but I still have a huge headache and I'm really thirsty."

"Yeah, me too. I think I drank like two gallons of water this morning and I took some medicine for my head. Let me get you some,"he says getting up to grab it. He hands me two pills which I take gratefully. After that I get out and wrap a towel around myself.

After I have changed, Peeta and I go downstairs and chug some more water as we munch on some crackers. Then we both curl up to silence, sweet silence, in each other's arms.

A/n so what do you think of their first time drunk and hungover?


	10. Peeta's 18th Birthday

Katniss pov

Today is Peeta's birthday. He turns 18 today, making him officially a man even though we have grown up so much these last years. I decide to wake him up by kissing his lips until he starts to stir.

When his beautiful blue eyes open, his eyes bore into mine."Happy birthday!"I say and he wraps his arms around me kisses my neck. I smile and kiss him deeply, we don't often get into kissing fits like this but when they happen it's beautiful.

He flips us over and kisses down my neck and then back up to my face. Then I push him over so I can kiss his neck. I can feel him wanting me but I'm not exactly ready for that, so instead I pull him up and say,"I have a surprise for you."

He excuses himself to the bathroom and after a few minutes he comes back out and says,"okay, Katniss." I take his hand and lead him downstairs to an empty room. Inside is filled with his paintings hung up and pictures I was able to find. Most of his pictures were at the bakery and were burnt but haymitch and I were able to save a few. A new painting desk is in the corner and on the wall is painted,"you are my pearl, you are my dandelion, and I can't be without you." In my nicest handwriting. Then new canvases and materials are in the corner along with a couch and an easel.

"When did you find the time to do this?"He asks incredulously.

"Mainly why you were baking or taking a shower. Haymitch helped save some pictures for you too."

"I like where you put this one,"Peeta says pointing to the middle of the wall, a painting he made of the two of us hangs with lights around it.

"Thank you, Katniss. I love it," he says pulling me into a hug. We stand like that for a while, soaking in each other's scent and company. Then my stomach grumbles so he pulls away and asks,"time for breakfast?"

I nod and he leads me to our kitchen. While eating cheese buns at the table, we hear Haymitch stumble into our house and to the kitchen. He takes a seat with his bottle of whiskey today.

"Finally crawled out of your hole Haymitch? I thought you were dead for a while,"I say. He laughs and says,"Not pregnant yet sweetheart? I thought for sure by now bread boy would knock you up,"he snorts.

"It's not like that,"Peeta says and takes my hand. Haymitch laughs and says,"suuuuuurrrrrrre," and winks at us."Don't worry your secrets safe with me." Then he turns to Peeta,"oh yeah, happy birthday kid."

"Thanks,"he says.

Later Haymitch leaves mumbling something about his geese and Peeta goes to work in his new art studio. So I make dinner tonight, but I want to make something special. Then I remember the boxes in my mom's old room. She left me a box of things she didn't want anymore. A cookbook was in that.

As I search in the box, I find two notes, one adressed to me. It says for katniss when she turns 19, love dad. I freeze and look at the other one, for primrose when she turns 19, love dad. I burst up into loud ugly sobs.

Soon I feel arms around me, Peeta telling me it's okay. I look back at the notes and cry some more. I failed her. She'll never get to be 19 and see this.

"What's wrong Katniss?"Peeta asks me when my sobs slow down. I hold up the two notes and he says nothing. He just kisses my head and holds me tighter. I open the one for me. It reads,

"Dear Katniss,

This letter is for when your 19. Right now you are only 10 years old, two years away from the hunger games. If you're reading this, it means you've either survived the hunger games, or never was picked. God forbid this, but if you were picked and you survived, I know you could do it. You're smart and know how to survive and I'm proud of you. If you weren't picked, I'm so happy that you were spared. I'm writing this to you because I know my work is dangerous and that I could easily die down there. If I do die, I know I can count on you to take care of your sister. I love you so much, Katniss. I hope I live long enough to see you grow up and get married and have kids. You are so much like me, I can tell already so you'll probably go for a sweet man who has passion, just like me with your mom. I know whoever you end up with is a good choice because you made it and he'll complete you. Lastly, I know you'll make a difference in this world, I can feel it. You're meant to be a leader, to make the right choice, to be an Everdean. I love you so much Katniss.

Love daddy."

"I failed him because I failed her,"I cry to Peeta. He holds me and says,"but you made a difference in this world, just like he said you would Katniss. You saved panem."

Then I reluctantly open the one adressed to prim. She'll never get to read this because I failed her. It reads,

"Dear Primrose,

This letter is for when your 19, if you're reading this it means you survived the hunger games, Katniss volunteered for you, or you were lucky enough to not get picked. I'm writing this because I know that my job is dangerous and I could possibly die, but don't worry if I do die I know that Katniss won't let anything happen to you, that's why I think she would volunteer for you. Prim, you have a vast knowledge of healthcare and I know someday you'll make a fantastic doctor, herbalist, midwife, or nurse. You have it in your blood, you are so caring. Right now you are only 6 and I can already tell how alike you are to your mother. I love you so much. I know that someday you'll find someone and you'll make a great wife and mom. I want you to know how proud I am of you, I love you.

Love daddy."

"My dad had faith in me,and I failed him and her. Peeta I failed them!"I cry. He just rocks me back and forth as I cry into his chest. He lays me down on the bed and curls up with me. We both fall asleep until around 10.

I wake up to Peeta staring at me. I lean forward and kiss him deeply."I'm sorry I ruined your birthday Peeta,"I say. He wipes the tears welling at my eyes and says,"you didn't ruin it. Katniss, without you by my side, I would have nothing...No you didn't ruin my birthday. Now, shall we eat?"

I was going to make him something special, but since it's too late to make anything, we just snuggle up on the couch eating leftovers as we watch a late night news. We never watch the news, but we have been curious about all the attacks and lock downs. But what we see is surprising.

"Welcome to late night news 12, there have been many reports of sightings of mutts near 11 and 12. District 12 has had 4 lock downs these last few months. We don't have any information now but our reporters will be down in 12 tomorrow morning. I'm Effie Trinket with your news."

Peeta and I stare in shock. We haven't seen Effie in forever and she's changed so much. Instead of her bold wigs, she has natural long blonde hair. She's tan and wearing minimal make-up. She looks younger but her voice is very much the same. She also isn't wearing ridiculous outfits, well they aren't as ridiculous anymore.

"Wow...Effie looks different. Do you think Haymitch knows?"Peeta comments.

"I have no clue. But damn, we'll have to watch tomorrow morning." I curl up and fall asleep on his chest. The next morning I wake up on the couch in Peeta's arms and my head on his chest.

We have breakfast and then there's a knock on our door. When I get up to get it Peeta follows me and we get the door. There stands Effie and a few camera people are visible down the street.


	11. Pea Brain Reporters

I would like to thank all of you for the wonderful reviews,I get so excited when I see them and it makes me update sooner. Oh and for this chapter, please in your mind read effies parts in her dramatic capitol accent! I love reading it like that :)

Katniss pov

Peeta and I stare out in shock. Effie quickly gives us hugs and I pull her in slamming the door behind her. "Why Katniss, those aren't manners! "She says.

"What the hell?"I yell. Peeta pushes me back and says,"I got it," he turns to Effie and says,"Effie, it's so wonderful to see you again, but why are those reporters in front of our house?"

"Well Peeta, after the rebellion I became an anchorman for the districts news. So when I heard about the attacks, I had to come and see you two! But of course, duty calls. So my equipment people are here to do reports because I don't have much time to waste in this place!"

"Can't you call them off? I actually have to go to the hob today and I would like to do that without being swarmed!"I say. Effie quickly gives me a sad smile saying,"I understand that you don't like the cameras Katniss, but they will be trying to get as much footage as possible. Not only for the attack reports but the capitol is still very interested in the star crossed lovers. I can't control that."

I let out a huff and Effie hugs us once more. "I'd love to chat, but unless it's in front of a camera, I must go. Duty calls,"she giggles at the end,"but I promise I will visit when I can,without the cameras. Just us,"and she bobs her head then grabs the door handle. "I must do what I've been doing all my life. Make sure a show is put on. Chins up, smiles on,"then she's gone out the door.

I look out the window to still see many reporters out there,one even catches sight of me. I turn back to Peeta and he wraps his arms around me,"I don't like cameras,"I mutter.

"I know, I know,"he says soothingly. "Should we watch the news to see what's happening?"

We turn on the tv right as Effie finished her introduction.

"-here in 12 there have been reports from the justice building that they had to go in lock down several times. 6 have been injured, including our mockingjay Katniss Everdeen." I tense at that. "We are here to hear from out citizens on what they have seen."

She walks up to someone walking down the street,"excuse me, could we talk to you?"She asks.

"What is it?"the woman says. She turns and and I see that it's Hazelle and little Posy."What are your thoughts on the lock downs and attacks?"

"Those stupid mutts nearly killed my son Vick. He was out getting wood when that creature attacked him and broke his arm. I don't know why they're here, but I want them gone, they are hurting to many people and scaring my little girl."

"I've always thought of Hazelle as a calm collective person,"I say to Peeta. He chuckles and says,"I guess I'd be angry if my kid were hurt because of those. Hell, I was angry when I was attacked by one."

"Yeah..."

"Excuse me, what are your thoughts on the attacks and lock downs?"She asks another person. This girl I don't know. She is around my age, probably older and very pregnant,"I was out when that happened. I was afraid something would happen to my baby. I saw it attack a peacekeeper!"

"There you have it, these mutts are striking fear into our residents and hurting many of them."

"I have to go to the hob today, will you come with me?"I ask when it's over."Of course,"Peeta says taking my hand. As soon as we reach town, I realize that they are still rolling and interviewing people.

Peeta and I try to avoid them but as soon as one of them notices us, they all swarm like bugs to a light. There are many different reporters, all asking questions,"what are your thoughts on the attacks?"

"Are the star crossed lovers together again?"

"Is your ankle better?"

"Will you two be married any time soon?"

"Any little mockingjays?"

"Do the mutts remind you of the hunger games, and Peeta does it remind you of the one that took your leg?"

These people are so ignorant! I just push my way through, Peeta by my side. When we are finally to the hob, they try to follow but Sae pulls me into a room.

"Thought you two could use a saving. They won't find you in here."

"Thanks Sae,"I sigh."This really helps, but I have things to buy?"

"Here girly. It's your usual...now I'll try to get them to another place while you two run home."

"Thanks Sae. Here's the money for these, I'll get you meat as soon as I can, I promise,"I say. She takes the money and then says,"okay, I'll go distract them now,"she leaves and we slip out the door soon after.

Peeta and I run as fast as we can to the village undetected. It didn't work because soon we hear footsteps behind us as they chase after us. We end up going to Haymitch's putrid house.

We huff and lean back against the door.

"What a lovely little story, star crossed lovers run from pea brain reporters."Haymitch snorts.

"Shouldn't you be passed out?"

"Shouldn't you be in your own house?"

"Well played,"I say sitting down.

"Well it looks like we're stuck here for a while because all the reporters are outside."Peeta says looking out the window. Haymitch gets up and says,"don't worry, I got this."

He walks outside to the reporters, stands right in front of them and then vomits all over them. They all look horrified! But that does the trick and soon they are all gone. "Thanks haymitch,"I say as we leave.

"Haha! I'd do that anytime!"He laughs.

When Peeta and I get home, I hug him and say,"that was a crazy day. Can we spend the rest of it inside?"

"I wouldn't have it any other way,"Peeta says."Come on lets make lunch,"and I follow him into the kitchen.


	12. The Break Down

Katniss pov

I wake up screaming but Peeta isn't there in bed to hold me so I get up and search for him. I look in the bathroom but he's not there and that's when I hear the sound of glass breaking almost making me fall because I jumped so much. I make my way downstairs, running in a blazing speed but making no sound at all.

I find Peeta in the living room surrounded by glass and gripping the back of a chair. His knuckles are completely white and his face is scrunched up in his pain. I watch around the corner like a coward, I should be there helping him but this is bad. I have to though he needs me.

I slowly walk to him and gently touch his shoulder. He flinches away from my touch and his hands go to his face and he grips it tightly. I lightly say his name and he slams his fist into the wood flooring. I jump at the sound of it and he slams it again and again.

I slowly back away from him as he stands up. His eyes look black, not a trace of blue there and I know he's gone. He stalks over to me and starts to yell, his eyes locked on the fear in my eyes.

"YOU'RE A MUTT! A FUCKING MUTT! YOU KILLED THEM, YOU KILLED EVERYONE! I HATE YOU I COULD NEVER LOVE YOU EVER!"

His fist goes into the wall right next to my head and he slaps me across my face. I scream when that happens and he laughs coldly. Then he has my chin in his hand."Look at me! Look at me mutt!"he says eerily.

"Peeta,"I choke out,"this isn't you. It's a flashback, it's not real, not real! Listen to me Peeta please!"I say. I see a second of confusion in his eyes and his grip loosens. He squeezes his eyes shut and says,"but you killed them,you-you-"

"That's not real Peeta, Snow killed them,"I say and go to cares his cheek but he moves before I can. He crouches down and wraps his arms around his head. "No..No..NO!"he yells out. I'm close enough to see the tears falling down his cheeks onto the floor. This breaks my heart. It's hard to see him cry like this, to see him hurt.

"Peeta..."I start but stop once I see him run down the hall into his art room. He slams the door and locks it before I can get to it. I slam my fist to the door and yell for him to open it up but he doesn't. All I her is agonizing screams and the shattering of glass that I assume is a vase he threw against the wall. This is bad.

"Peeta! Peeta please! I need you to open the door"

For an hour I stand there banging on the door as I hear rustling coming from behind it. I slump down against the door and lazily hit it. There's a thump as he sits against the door on the other side.

"Peeta, listen to me. It's not real, none of its real. Please Peeta just listen to my words."I say. I feel him get up and so do I. The door swings open and he pushes a painting into my chest. It's slightly wet but I don't care about my shirt.

I peel the picture away from my stomach hoping it's not messed up. Luckily it's not, but it's messed up in another way. The painting is of a mutt the same color as my hair with my seam eyes. All around it is remains of Peeta's family and the tributes from our games. The look on the mutt is menacing and the face has similar qualities to mine and I know for sure that this is what he sees me as. A mutt.

I bite back the tears as I drop the picture and run upstairs. The door to our room is closed and I think I'll have to convince him to let me in again but to my surprise the door is unlocked. I stand at the door way at first but then slowly make my way to the bed where he lays crying.

"Peeta..."

"Go away Katniss,before I cause you too much pain,"he cries. I sit against the headboard and wipe the hair from his face. He cries more and I just sooth him until he sits up to look at me. He takes in my painted shirt and says,"sorry about your shirt."

"My shirt doesn't matter,"I say.

I put out my arms and pull him close to me, his head resting on my chest. He lets it all out and cries into my chest as I play with his golden curls. "Katniss, I'm so sorry-I-I slapped you! I broke your vases and I called you a mutt. I'm-I'm hurting you too much! I don't deserve you."

"No, you listen to me Peeta Mellark. I don't deserve you, even after hijacking you still come back to me and your amazing and you are caring, so what if you hurt me once, I've hurt you too many times before and I don't care about the vases or the shirt or the wall or anything. All I care about is you and I've never felt this way about anyone. I'm not very good with words but, Peeta I just-I guess I- I know that I -...I love you Peeta,"I tell him as tears stream down both of our faces.

He looks into my face with an astonished face. He takes my face in his hands and kisses my lips."I love you too Katniss,"he says. We wipe tears from each other's cheeks and lay there in each other's arms, breathing in our scents. He is emotionally drained and falls asleep on my chest, so I whisper into his hair,"I love you Peeta."


	13. Fixing The Hole

Peeta pov

I wake up in Katniss's arms on our floor downstairs. At first I'm confused,but then all the memories come flooding back to me as soon as I see the hole in the wall. She stirs slightly as I get out of her arms and lift her off the uncomfortable floor and onto the couch.

"Peeta..."her voice cracks and is laced with sleep.

"Shhhh...just go back to sleep Katniss,"I say,normally she doesn't wake up for a few more hours. She just shakes her head and tries to sit up until she realizes that she's in my arms. Her arms go around my neck and she pulls herself up to kiss me.

"I love you Katniss,"I whisper into her hair and she leans back to look me in the eyes, hers are gleaming. "I love you too Peeta,"she says and I feel a tear forming in my eyes. Then I set her down on the couch and she snuggles up to me. After a few minutes she's asleep again. She really was tired but I don't blame her. Those nightmares are terrible and so was that flashback.

I stare at the wall, not wanting to move because I don't want to wake her up. I'm going to have to fix that, I think to myself. But I don't think I know how to. I'll have to ask Haymitch for help.

A few hours later she wakes up again. As she goes to take a shower, I start to clean up all the glass and water on the floor. That's when Haymitch stumbles in. "Whoa looks like sex got too ruff."

"No...I punched the wall during a flashback. I also broke a few vases...but I need help with the wall, Haymitch."

"Fine. You're lucky I know how to do that though...but first I need you to help me round up my stupid geese, that's why I came here."

"Fine, just let me go tell Katniss."

I run upstairs to our room and right as I open the door, I hear her beautiful voice singing. That's when I get my first glance at her. Her beauty goes far beyond her face. It's in the curve of her hips and her breasts. She is truly perfect, each scar adding detail.

That's when I noticed that she has stopped singing. When I look back to her face, she is staring at me. Oh shit. She goes to cover her breasts and her core and I look down embarrassed that she saw me and mad that I did that. She'll never want to see me after this.

"I'm so sorry Katniss, I-I didn't mean to stare at you-I just came to tell you-"

I'm cut off by her hands on my face lifting it up. She's completely naked."It's okay Peeta,"she says then kisses me fiercely. I feel a fire inside me as this kiss stirs something within me. I start to kiss her neck and push her against the wall but then the thought of Haymitch comes to mind and if he were to walk in-

"I'm sorry Katniss... I really really want to, but Haymitch is here and I said I would help him gather his geese and if he were to walk in-"

"Peeta-Peeta! Your rambling, you never ramble...I get it. It's okay, now go before he runs in."She says smiling at me. I guess in my ramble I didn't hear Haymitch yelling at me to hurry up.

"I love you Katniss,"I say

"I love you too Peeta."

When I get downstairs Haymitch asks,"what the hell took you so long?"then he looks down at my pants and says,"never mind, your body gives it away,"I let out a sigh because I know this is going to be uncomfortable.

After an hour of running around chasing geese, we finally get them in their pen. Then Haymitch says,"come on lets get the stuff for your wall." He leads me to his garage that is oddly sort of clean. But not clean in the unused sort of way but in the used but cleaned way.

"Do you spend a lot of time out here?"I ask

"Since I got the geese I had to make the pen, so after that I realized that I like to make things out here..."

"That's good, it keeps you busy...if you think of it we've all found ways to keep busy."

"Obviously,"he says raising an eyebrow. I laugh and say,"No! We haven't even-no!"

"I have to say, I'm actually surprised at that...wait was this morning all about?"

"Yeah...Well I sort of walked in on her showering and sorta got caught staring. Then we sorta made out while she was naked but I stopped it because you were here. Yeah thanks for that."

"Sorry didn't mean to be a cock-block."

"It's okay, probably not the best time anyways...we're still healing and after last night I realized that I need to become more stable...especially if she were to get pregnant. I don't think I'm stable enough for that."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa hold on there boy, there's ways to prevent that. But I do have to say boy, that you have come a long way and that you have overcome what most couldn't. I have to say, you underestimate yourself too much."

"Thanks Haymitch,"I say.

"Anytime...now for that wall",he grabs his tools and some type of wall stuff and follows me. When we get to our house, Katniss is fully dressed and eating leftovers. I walk over and kiss her sweet lips and Haymitch just simply says,"good morning sweetheart."

"Hi Haymitch."

We start on the wall and when we're done, there's a huge white spot where it was. I'll have to paint over that. I walk Haymitch out and right as we are on the porch, he leans in and says,"good luck with everything kid, you've really earned it."

"Thanks for everything...and I mean everything, if you didn't sell the star crossed lovers, I wouldn't be with that beautiful woman in there."

"No problem kid,"he says clapping a hand on my shoulder. Then he walks away to his house and I walk in to Katniss.


	14. Happiness That Can't Last

Peeta pov

I have been painting the walls because now I have to paint the whole room that I punched. Katniss has been very lovable lately and I think it has to do with what almost happened between us.

As I'm painting the wall she comes to kiss the back of my sweaty neck then my cheek and runs her hand up my back under my shirt. I turn around and set the roller down so that I can wrap her in a tight loving hug.

"Peeta..."

I kiss her lips and she smiles then rests her head on my chest. That's when I ask her,"you love me, real or not real?"

"Real, Peeta, so real."

I kiss her again but this time more fiercely. When she pulls back I see a beautiful and bright smile on her lips. I can imagine seeing that as she lays on top of me and I know I can't deny this any longer.

I wrap her in my arms and her legs go to my waist. I pull her upstairs and kiss every inch of her I can see. I must see more. So I take off her clothing piece by piece. Soon we are both naked and I know that I can't go through with this unless I have her verbal permission.

"Katniss, are you sure you want this?"I ask.

"Peeta, I've never been more ready, please." She pleads and caresses my head. That's when I make her mine...

After she lays on my chest and I stroke her back. "You love me, real or not real?"

"Real."

I smile every time I hear that. It gives me butterflies to hear that. That's when I hear a small meow come from the side of the bed. I turn to find Buttercup laying lazily on the floor. This cat is one of the ugliest creatures I've ever seen, but he is meaningful to Katniss and before to Prim.

I pat right next to me and he jumps up then hisses at Katniss and purrs as I pet him. He doesn't like Katniss most of the time but I know they have their moments. He likes me though. Mainly because I feed him.

By now Katniss has drifted off and Buttercup walks across her back which makes me chuckle and nearly wakes her. I start to pet him again and he purrs again and lays against me. When Katniss wakes up, she has a face full of tail.

"Ugh! Buttercup!"She says. He gets up and hisses again then jumps off.

"You are a pest!"She yells at him. Then mumbles,"dumb cat."

I wrap my arms around her and pull her to me. She kisses my chest then starts to get up, stretching as she stands. She takes my hand and pulls me up saying,"come take a shower with me,"and pulls into the bathroom...

After I continue painting and she looks at the colour saying,"this is beautiful Peeta"

"I was hoping you would like it."

"Well I definitely do."

"So I've been thinking about something..."I start. She looks a bit confused but listens.

"I was thinking about reopening the bakery."I say

Her smile lights up her face as she says,"Peeta that's wonderful!"

I can see it in her eyes that this shows improvement and that this shows healing. We are both still healing. I smile back at her and soak in the happiness around us. It's not often that we get to be completely happy. Only this doesn't last too long...

I wake up the next morning to Katniss screaming in her sleep. "Katniss! Wake up its okay!"I say waking her. She shoots up and I wrap her in my arms. She cries and cries but won't tell me what it is. She wraps her arms around her knees and puts her head in her her knees and cries. This was a really bad nightmare for her whatever it was. She still won't tell me what's wrong and when I go to wrap my arms around her she asks me to leave so I do as she asks.

I decide to go to Haymitch's house for some help.

It pains me to see her like this. I knock on his door but decide to go right in. He is sitting at his table drinking until he sees me and says,"what brings you here?"

"I need some help."

"What now?"

"Well, Katniss woke up this morning in a really bad state. She won't talk to me and won't look up from her knees, it's just like when she came back to 12... but I don't get it? We were healing and usually I can help her but she won't let me..."

"Well What happened the night before? Did she see anything bad that could remind her of anything?"

"I don't think so. Yesterday was really happy"

"What happened yesterday?"

"Well...We...I...uh.."I blush and Haymitch gets the point."And did you force her to it?"

"No! I would never force her to do that unless she wanted it!"

"Okay, what else happened?"

"I told her I was rebuilding the bakery."

"That's good, but how did she react to that?"

"She was really happy."

"Maybe she's scared to be happy? Or she remembered something, maybe something reminded her of Prim?"

I nod and sit down.

"She asked me to leave,"I say solomley

"Here,"he says handing me a bottle. "Thanks,"I say taking a swig.

"Don't mention it, boy."

"Do you think she'll get over it soon?"

"I'm sure she'll need you tomorrow," he says and I nod, I just don't want her to do anything drastic or harmful, especially if she's back in the state she was when I returned.


	15. Facing The Hard Past

Katniss pov

I asked Peeta to leave. I sit on the bed rocking back and forth crying. I'm crying because of Prim. When Peeta told me that he was rebuilding the bakery, I couldn't help but think of how Prim would drag me to just look at his beautiful creations. She should be alive right now not me.

I think of how happy she was when she found out that I was home and so was Peeta. How she helped me when he was gone and how she new I loved him before I even knew. I find the strength to stand up and slowly make my way to her room. Her room as stayed the same, untouched since she died.

Slowly I step in and what I see makes me cry harder. Her books are left untouched and her flowers and herbs are dying. A light coat of dust is forming on everything and her bed is ruffled. Her hairbrush even still holds a wad of blond hair. I walk over to her closet to find all her dresses in there and the clothes she worn the day of the reaping are there. I lift up the piece of fabric and a tear falls onto it. When I look at her desk,I see a picture of us the day I tried on the wedding dresses. I'm standing in the one that everyone voted for and prim stands with me. She was so happy that she got home in time to see them.

I also find a picture of my dad. Everyone I loved ends up being taken away from me. That's why I'm afraid to love Peeta. I don't want him to be taken away from me. I hear a tiny meow from behind me and soon feel fur rubbing against my leg. I look down to see Buttercup meowing at me. I pick him up and scratch him behind the ears. He actually starts to purr and I cry into his fur.

"I loved you so much,"I cry out to her. "You were too young."

More tears slip from my eyes and I colapse on the floor in a fit of tears and eventually fall asleep curled up. When I wake up I realize where I am but I don't cry. I stand up and decide that I should dust this room. It deserves to be clean at least. For her.

When I finish I feel better.

I let one more tear slip then close the door. When I turn around Peeta is standing there. I stare at him not moving and I feel my lip trembling. He takes two steps and I'm in his arms. "I was so worried about you,"he says.

"I-I-I'm just,I had to go-" I start and he kisses me. I feel a tear rolling down my face and I feel one drop fall onto it. I look up and see tears in his eyes. "I'm so sorry Katniss,"he says and I wrap my arms around his neck and cry.

He picks me up and caries me to our bed and when he goes to leave I stop him and say,"stay with me?"

"Always."

He gets in bed with me and kisses my forehead. That's when he asks,"what caused you to do this to yourself?"

"I-I was thinking about how p-p-prim would always want to see your cakes displayed at the bakery,and then I just couldn't take it and broke down,I had to go in there and what I saw made me break down too. It's how she left it. Then I realized that I wanted to keep it clean but the same. Then I saw a picture of us the day I tried on wedding dresses...She was so happy that day."

"I also found a picture of my dad,"I say,"and the clothes she worn to the reaping!"That's when I burst into tears. "I loved her so much, I tried everything I could to keep her alive but I still failed!"

I cry into his chest and say,"she was such a good person too! She deserved to live Peeta,"he just rocks me back and forth as I cry kissing my head and saying nothing, letting me get it all out. I know I'm breaking his heart by being so weak in front of him when he lost his whole family, but I need this.

"Peeta, I'm so sorry."

"Katniss, you have nothing to be sorry for."

"I only lost my sister and my dad, but you we're hijacked and lost all your family, and I'm the one breaking down.."I say.

"But you were attached to your family. My mom beat me and my brothers I weren't so close to, only my dad was ever nice, but you lost the two people that you loved, that you lived for. You lost your being,"he says striking my hair.

"Not completely true, I still have you. I have you to love and live for still Peeta, I haven't lost it all,"he smiles at me and says,"I need you too."

I get up out of his arms and go to grab the two pictures I found. When I come back and sit on his lap,I show him the two pictures and he looks at them very closely. "You look so beautiful in that picture Katniss,"he says. Then he looks at the other photo and says,"wow, I can really see your dad in you now."

"I wish you could have met him, he would have loved you,"I say.

"That means a lot to me,"he says. I smile at him and take the pictures and put them on my bedside table. I'll get frames tomorrow. Then I go back to Peeta and sit on his lap again and he wraps his arms around me and I fall asleep in this comfort.


	16. Mishaps On The Roof

Katniss pov

"Katniss wake up! Wake up,"I hear as I shoot up out of a nightmare. "Shh, it's okay, I love you Katniss,"Peeta coos in my ear as I cry into his chest. He kisses my cheek and then my lips. "I had a dream that you died, you were gone and Snow laughed and said that he already got Prim and you-"

"It's okay, I'm right here,"he says.

"But she isn't,"I cry.

He doesn't know how to reply to that so he just cradles me and kisses my cheek then my neck. Soon I've calmed down some, so I decide that I can't lay down anymore. Peeta has his arms around me and his breathing is starting to become even so he is almost asleep. I give it a few minutes before I get up and exit through the already open window.

The roof is cold on my feet, but after that dream it feels good on my sweaty skin. It's still very dark outside as I get down and sit on the edge. My legs swing as they hang down and there is a slight breeze. We are nearing winter.

I look over to the forest, the forest that is a graveyard for so many, the forest that even though no one has seeded it, has grown back. Even after a war. I get lost in the thought of my memories and it leads me to wonder what it would be like if my dad and Prim were still alive.

I would imagine that my mother would still be in 12 and Prim would be helping her as she heals everyone. I could imagine my dad smiling as we go to lake and hunt like old times. And it makes me sad that he and Prim didn't get to see the world that they always dreamed of. Where there are no reapings, and no hunger games.

A world where I could see Peeta asking my dad for my hand. And my dad walking me down the aisle. I've never really thought about love until now. With Peeta, and I have to admit that I'm a bit afraid, but I'm excited for our future...

"Katniss! Katniss!"

I turn to look at the window and very faintly I see Peeta sitting up and soon jumping out of bed searching for me. I get up and walk so that my head is peeking in the house. "Peeta, I'm right here,"I say.

I see him turn in the moon light to look at me and he runs so that his hands are on my face. "What are you doing out there?"He asks confused. "I couldn't fall asleep again so I decided to sit out here, it's nice."

"Mind if I join you?"

"Not at all,"I say as he climbs out. He sits next to me and sets his arm on my shoulder. I lean into him and instantly I start to get sleepy. He kisses my nose and says,"you're right, it is very nice out here."

"Mmmhmmm,"I say pushing my face into his chest. He asks,"are you getting sleepy again?"

"You bring it with you,"I joke.

He goes to get up but a split second before it happens, I notice that his prosthetic leg is kinda weird, and that's when he falls. I go to catch him but I'm too late and he's laying flat on the ground. I bolt for the window and fly down the stairs to him.

'Please tell me you're okay!' I think to myself.

"Peeta!"I gasp as he still lays there. Tears fall onto his face and his eyes open up. He then scrunches them close in pain. "Are you okay? Let me get Haymitch!"

"No, no I'm okay, I can sit up. It's just my back kinda hurts and my leg, my leg mainly hurts."

I look down at his leg and see that part of his prosthetic is still attached to his leg while half of it broke off. "Peeta your leg, well your fake leg broke!"

"Shit,"he says looking at his leg.

"Hold on,"I say and run into the house. There's no way that I can pick him up but I can push him. I run into the office and grab the chair with wheels. I roll it out to him and then I tell him,"here, I'm going to help you into this and take you to the hospital."

"Okay fine,"he says and I somehow manage to get him up.

I quickly wheel him to the hospital and when I get inside I ask the lady if we could get him in.

"Yes, we aren't very busy so we can get him in right now. I just need a parent or guardian to fill out some forms, unless he is over 18, he can fill them out."

"He's old enough."

"Okay, I need his name."

"Peeta Mellark."

"Okay, here are the forms."She hands them to me,"as soon as these are filled out we can take him back."

They get him a real wheelchair and that's when I notice that his leg is bleeding bad. His prosthetic is lodged into his leg. "He's bleeding bad! Please take him back now! I'll fill out the papers just please take him back!"I yell

"Ma'am, I can't let you fill it out unless you are family."

"His family is dead! I'm all he has! God dammit! I'm..I'm his fiancee,"I say remembering that the capitol thinks we are engaged.

"Well..."

"Please! Do you not see how much he is bleeding!"

"Alright..I need a nurse!"

A nurse comes and wheels him to a room and I follow. I sit in a chair as the nurse brings in a doctor. "Hello I'm Dr Cano, what seems to be the problem?"

"He fell off a roof and his prosthetic broke but I think it lodged into his leg."

"Oh, hmmm, yes he is bleeding rapidly..."She says then says many instructions to the nurse that I don't catch. After a few minutes she says,"we need to take him back asap to remove that. You are welcome to stay here and fill those out, this isn't too complicated so he should be out in a few minutes maybe an hour."

"Okay."

She nods and takes him in the bed away from the room.

For the first half hour I sit there freaking out because something could go wrong and this reminds me of the times when he was in the hospital at 13 and when we were in the hospital in the capitol.

That's when all the memories come back and I curl up in the chair and cry. "He'll be okay, he'll be okay,"I tell myself. I can't help but worry still. I can see Snow laughing at me, at my weakness as he says,"he'll never be okay, he'll never love you."

That's when I scream. A nurse runs in and she asks,"Ms Everdeen? Are you okay?" I look up to find a very young girl there. She looks a little older than Prim was and reminds me of her.

"I-I I'm sorry...It's nothing, I'm okay,"she gives me a small polite smile and says,"it's okay, I understand what you're going through, I just finished some research on ptsd."

"Do you think you could get Dr Auralius on the phone?"

"Of course,"she says picking up the phone and dialing a number. She hands me the phone then leaves. "Hello?"

"Hi Dr Auralius, it's Katniss."

"Hello Katniss, why are you calling from the hospital? Is everything okay?"

"No, not really..."

"What's wrong Katniss?"

"Well, ummm...where should I start..."

"Just start from the beginning."

"Okay...Well I woke up in the middle of the night from a nightmare."

"What was it about?"

"Snow, he killed Prim then killed Peeta and was laughing at me...Then I got up and sat on the edge of my roof."

"Katniss...are you having any suicidal thoughts? Why were you on your roof?"

"No, no, nononono. It's just comforting to look out at the world from my roof, it's quiet and clam."

"Okay, then what?"

"Well, Peeta woke up and panicked. He couldn't find me until I said something. Then he came out with me and as we were getting up to leave, he slipped and fell off the roof. I ran down to him and noticed his prosthetic broke. So I took him to the hospital and it turns out that the part that was still attached was lodged-I-I-in to his leg-"

That's when a few tears roll down my cheeks.

"It's okay Katniss, anything else?"

"Yeah, all of this is reminding me of the capitol and district 13 and of Prim, I went into her room the other day and broke down and this is just adding to everything."

"Shhh, it's okay, deep breaths Katniss."

"Where is Peeta now? Can I speak with him, if this is causing you trouble I'm worried about him too."

"He's in surgery but should be out soon, they said it wouldn't take super long and its been a while."

"Okay, well when he gets back and after you guys have some time together I would like to talk with him too."

"Okay."

After that he talks with me over everything and I end up in tears until Peeta is back. That's when I say good bye to Dr Auralius and turn to Peeta. He looks really dazed. That's when I realize that I haven't filled out those forms.

"These forms aren't filled out, I'm sure you have some questions...You need to write for him though. Mr Mellark is not in the state to write correctly yet."

"Okay,"I say.

"I'll leave you two alone,"the nurse says.

"Hey Peeta, how are you feeling?"I ask him.

"Katniss, Katniss, Katniss, you are so beautiful,"he says smiling.

"I see you are feeling normal,"I say sarcastically,"Okay Peeta, do you have any history of heart problems, stroke or cancer?"

"Uhh, cancer."

"Okay,ever broken a bone?"

"Does losing a leg count? Technically my bone broke. Oh wait I broke my collar bone when I wrestled."

"I'll put that as a yes,"I say and he laughs,"okay, medicines, yes..."

"Yup!"Peeta says still on the drugs they gave him.

"Any mental conditions...ptsd,"I say as I fill it out. "Are you a virgin-"

"I think you know the answer to that,"he says raising an eyebrow and laughing.

"Have you had any form of sex- never mind I can fill out this section,"I say blushing.

"Yeah you can,"he says laughing,"because you and I fu-"

"Shut up you're on pain meds right now"

"I love you Katniss."

"I love you too Peeta,"I say.

After I finish the forms I hand them to the nurse and she tells me that he's staying the night here. I leave to get him clothes and then return, and when I'm back Peeta is asleep.

I kiss his forehead and then push the chair as close as I can to him and curl up to his arm. I know he'll need me tomorrow, especially when he talks to Dr Auralius. With that I fall asleep.

A/N that was a long chapter!


	17. Pills and Conversations

Katniss pov

They put Peeta in a wheelchair and said that his leg might take a while because they have to make a special order to the capitol to fit his leg so that it won't cause him any pain by rubbing. I wheel him back to our house and give him his medicine. Just what he needs, ANOTHER pill.

I walk behind him and wrap my arms over his shoulder and kiss his cheek. His hand reaches up to my cheek and he turns his head to kiss me back. "How do you feel?"I ask him. He yawns and says,"I'm a little tired, but I feel gross."

"Want a bath?"I ask.

"Yes please,"he says sheepishly.

I wheel him to the downstairs bathroom and run upstairs to grab a towel and some of his clothes. When I get back down, he is already nude in the tub with water filling it up. I set the towel and clothes in my lap as I sit down in his chair.

"Dr Aralius wants you to call...I talked to him while you were having surgery and he wanted to talk to you"

"Okay, I'll do that after I sleep."He says."Katniss, what happened?"

"What are you talking about?"

"Katniss, I know you're not okay, you only talk to Dr Auralius if you absolutely need to."He says raising an eyebrow. I let out a sigh and say,"I was freaking out when you went into surgery so a nurse got him on the phone for me...I know that you're somewhat okay now, so I'm fine."

"Did you tell him about the other day?"

"Y-yes,"I stutter.

"Good,"He says, "so what happened after I came out from surgery? I just remember waking up and being here in a wheelchair."

"Well, I finished filling out those papers with you and then you and I fell asleep. Then this morning that gave you more medication and you were talking nonsense and then fell asleep."

"Really? What was I saying?"

"First you said you wanted to punch the roof. Then when the nurse said that if you were still in pain she could give you more medication, you turned to me and said 'the only medication I need is you on top of me in bed while we-' but I cut you off before you could say anything else. Turns out you can get pretty provocative when you're highped up on drugs."

"Oh God,"he says blushing.

I laugh and say,"how do you think I felt?! The nurse got a kick out of it." I Smile at him and run my fingers through his hair. A few minutes later he finishes and I help him out of the tub. When he's dressed and in his chair I bring him to the kitchen and cook dinner.

I move the chair that he normally sits in to the side and wheel him up to the table. I set down the food and then sit next to him. He lightly smiles and I take his hand and squeeze it.

"How are you feeling?"I ask him.

"I'm fine don't worry about me."

"Don't worry about you? Peeta, there's nothing you can do or say to get me to stop worrying about you."

"Yeah I guess that's true. Now I know how you feel."

"I love you."

"I love you too."

We eat and then I say,"call Dr Auralius."

"Okay,"he says and I get him the phone and dial the number. Then I let him be and go to take a shower.

Peeta pov

"Hello?"

"Hi Dr Auralius, it's Peeta."

"Oh Peeta, I've been waiting to hear from you."

"Yeah, Katniss told me."

"So how is your leg feeling?"

"Well, I'm on medication so it only hurts when that wears off."

"That's normal. So what about during everything, how we're you feeling?"

"Well it hurt.." I say a bit irrateded

"No, I mean we're you getting any flashbacks? Any doubts or memories?"

"Yes. At first I saw all the memories of being in the capitol after the first games. Then I got memories of when I was captured and almost lost it. I think they sedeted me before I could lash out on them. I don't remember much after that but I think I had a small one before I saw Katniss and they sedated me again."

"So I have word on your prosthetic. It should be shipped within the next month but you can't put it on until you are completely healed. This one is stronger, water proof, bullet proof, and should fit so that I'd doesn't rub. Especially since another inch of your leg was taken away. Does Katniss know about that?"

"No, I haven't told her about that yet."

"She deserves to know Peeta."

"I know, but I don't her to worry and I know how hard things are for her, she doesn't need to worry about an inch taken off my leg."

"Peeta, I know you want to protect her,and that is a very good thing considering where you came from not too long ago, but she should know."

"Okay, I'll tell her tonight."

"Now to move on to other pressing matters. They faxed me a copy of those forms and I noticed something that I am not sure is safe for you two."

"What?"

"Well, I'm not sure if you guys are well enough for sex. I'm afraid that you will have a flashback because of how the capitol made you two pretend. And if that happens, it could be fatal for Katniss, especially when she's in such a vulnerable state. I'm going to need you to answer a few questions."

"I really don't want to talk about this..."

"I know this is really awkward, but I have to make sure you are okay so that you don't accidentally kill Katniss."

"Okay,"I sigh.

"Alright, first of all are you guys using protection, because Katniss definitely isn't well enough to get pregnant right now and you two are not healthy enough to be parents."

"Yes, she gets a monthly shot. I couldn't do that to her anyways, she doesn't want kids ever."

"Okay, when was the last time you had a full blown flashback? On a rate from 1-10 how bad was it?"

"About a week ago, I punched a wall and broke a few vases so..You can determine that."

"Did you hurt katniss?"

"I-I don't really know, she says I didn't do anything but I can't tell if she's just trying to protect me?"

"Okay, I don't recommend having sex but I'm not going to cut you off of it. It's good that you've gotten this far. I also don't recommend angry sex, or any BDSM type of stuff. But you don't seem to be too unstable. Now I want to hear about your living arrangement,and if it's working for you?"

"We live in her house,sleep in the same bed. It does work out because of the nightmares we get. As long as we can wake up and physically know that the other is there, we are usually okay."

"That's good,you two seem to be healing. And remember if you ever have a flashback, just hold onto a chair or something...I will be calling you to see how your leg is doing soon, and don't forget to tell Katniss about your leg. I will also be calling to help Katniss soon too."

"Okay."

"Good bye."

I hang up the phone,then call for Katniss. She instantly runs down in a towel and some bubbles on her shoulder.

"What is it Peeta? Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine. Sorry, you can finish your shower."I say

"Okay,"she says and walks to the stairs. When she comes back she asks,"so what did you need earlier?"

"I have to tell you something."

She nods and takes my hand. I continue,"so, my leg...Well you know how I had surgery?"

"Yeah?" She says confused.

"They had to take another inch off of it. It won't be healed for a while."

"Peeta!"I can see the tears welling in her eyes as she looks at me sadly. The tears spill over her cheek and she asks,"are you okay with this?"

"Yeah, I mean most of my leg was gone anyway. They are sending me another prosthetic to fit the leg now."

She nods and then asks if I want to do lay down. She wheels me into the bedroom downstairs and helps me into the bed, then lays curled next to me and cries. "You don't deserve this Peeta."

"It's okay Katniss...I love you."

"I love you too Peeta."

Then we drift off.


	18. New Leg, New Day

Peeta pov

"Oh Peeta,look what I have!" Katniss says happily as she walks in the extra room. She is wearing only a thin black robe but is hiding something behind her back. She smiles at me and pulls out my new prosthetic. It's very modern and shiny.

"It came in!?"I say excitedly. She nods and runs to help me put it on. As soon as it's on I stand this time there is no rubbing! My leg is still a little sore from the surgery but it's bearable. She opens up her arms to me and I run into them. That's when she bites my ear lobe and says,"I was hoping we could celebrate a bit."

Her smile is devilish as she pushes me down onto the bed and takes off her robe to reveal that she is wearing nothing. I smile back at her and say,"yes, celebration is in order."

* * *

Katniss pov

After Peeta makes pancakes for us. As I sit there I notice how happy he is to be on his feet again. These last 3 months have been so hard on him. He would wake up in a sort of depression. I tried to move him outside as much as I could but it was hard with his wheelchair. So we spent most of our time inside, I tried to help him bake but that was a bad idea because I made a huge mess. But it did lighten the mood.

He spent a lot of his time painting too. He even had me pose for one...I was naked. There were also days when we would work on the book some more, or I would sing to him, or I would lay there on the bed with him and we'd nap.

I am so happy to see him up and whistling as he dances around cooking. I walk up behind him and kiss his shoulder. He looks over his shoulder to smile at me. He kisses my head and takes my hand. Turning off the stove, he turns to wrap his arms around me. His warm lips move on mine and I feel him smile.

"So how does it feel?"I ask.

"Like a new man,"he says.

"Good."

"Now I can do this,"he says and throws me over his shoulder.

"Hey! What about my pancakes!?"

"They'll be there after,"he says and runs us to the couch.

"I'm surprised at how well you can run and walk again,"I say astonished.

"I guess I'm used to walking unaturally."

He kisses me fiercely and he smiles saying,"I'll never get used to this though,"as he kisses my neck and shoulder. "I love you Peeta," I say lovingly.

"I love you too, Katniss. I always will."

* * *

After eating my pancakes, which made me very happy, Peeta and I get dressed to head out to the town.

As soon as we step out, we hear,"God dammnit! These fucking geese! Stop trampling all over me!"

Peeta and I laugh as he struggles against the birds. "Hey, what are you two laughing at? Damn geese here are walking all over me." Peeta says,"have you tried to feed them bread?"

"No, with you hurt and um living with her, I never get bread,"says Haymitch.

"I'll be sure to make you some."

"Bye Haymitch,"I say and pull Peeta out of the victors village. As we walk I notice that Peeta is in deep thought. I turn to him and ask,"What's on your mind?"

"I need to open the bakery back up. I realized that our bakery used to be the only way people got bread. Now that not everyone is starving, they can actually get bread. I love seeing people too, and I think that's what I miss the most. I want to have my own bakery. Our own bakery."

"I think you should."

"Okay, I will,"he says proudly,"but first I nneed to go to the justice building to see if I can."

"We can go after we go to the hob."

The first thing I do when I get there is go to the medical booth and pick up my birth control. Then I head over to Greasy Sae and ask for some soup. She smiles at me and says,"why, of course girly!"

That's when I hear my name being called. I turn around to see Hazelle working with Moria at the fabric booth. Peeta and I walk over to her and she says,"Katniss! It's been forever, how are you doing?"

"Better. What about you? How are you guys adjusting?"

"It's, um, it's different without Gale here, but he made his choice. He chose his job over family,"she says sadly,"but other than that, Thom has helped rebuild our house and now I work here. The boys are trying to get jobs to, but you know, so many people need jobs with all this rebuilding going on."

"I can offer them a job,"Peeta says.

"Really?"

"Of course, it might be a while because I need to rebuild the bakery, but when I do I would be happy to give them a job."

"Oh, Peeta, thank you so much. You are so kind,"she says gratefully.

"It really is no problem,"he says.

I smile up at him and can't help but think that I don't deserve him. He is so perfect and wonderful. "Here, take some fabric,"she says.

"Oh you don't have to do that,"I say.

"No I insist!"She says and Peeta thanks her.

"Peeta, do you mind taking this over to Rarrab over there?"She asks handing him a pile of fabric. "Of course not, he's the one by the fish right?"

"Yes."

As soon as Peeta is out of ear shot she says,"I'm sorry for sending him away but I knew this wouldn't be comfortable for him. Gale wants to see you. He said that he's sent letters but never got any replies. It's important, he really wants to speak with you, he also said that he is afraid of this silence even though I assure him that you are doing well."

"I-"

"I know that it's hard for you, but I've never heard him so hurt. He just really needs to hear from you...and Katniss, you don't have to worry, because he's moved on. He just wants his best friend back."

I nod slowly and walk away until she stops me,"it really was nice seeing you though, I'm happy to see you doing so well."

"Thanks,"I say quietly and meet Peeta.

"What are you thinking of?"He asks.

As we leave the hob I finally answer him.

"Gale wants me to talk to him...I'm not sure though."

"Does he still love you?"

"His mom said he moved on."

"I think you should talk when you feel you are ready,"he says wrapping an arm around me. "Okay...let's not talk about this now. Are you ready to go get your bakery?"

"Yes!"he says as gidiy as a kid on Christmas.

That's when we step into the justice building.

A/N any thoughts? What do you think?


	19. Visions

Katniss pov

Peeta and I walk out of the justice building with a paper saying that we own the area where the bakery was. We didn't have to pay anything since Peeta is the only living Mellark, so the bakery was his, the deed to it was just burned up in the ash of what used to be the bakery.

It's all cleaned up now. Peeta and I walk to where the bakery stood and that's when Peeta says,"I always dreamed that I would own the bakery some day. I also had a dream that you would be by my side." He smiles and takes my hand.

"Looks like your dreams are coming true,"I say.

He turns and wraps me in his arms. "Thank you,"he says quietly. I hold onto him tighter and kiss his neck. I feel his tears drip onto my skin as he cries into my neck. "I never thought that I would be with you, I never thought that you would love me, and I never thought that I would be the only survivor of my family..."

"Your dad would be so proud of you Peeta."I say.

"As would yours."

Eventually Peeta and I are a mess of tears as we let out the stress of the years in this one embrace. I'm sure people are staring at us but we don't care ,we need this. He kisses my forehead and then my nose. The finally my lips.

Eventually we break apart. "I can't thank you enough, Katniss."

"You don't have to, because you saved me."

He leans down and kisses me again. "I love you Katniss."

"I love you too Peeta."

I look out to the empty lot and say,"do you have any ideas yet?"

"Yeah, a few that I'm gonna sketch out when we get home."

"Well let's go then!"I say taking his hand.

* * *

When we get home I follow Peeta into his art room. I watch as he sketches out his vision of the bakery. It has a nice seating area with a counter in the front room, then a beautiful kitchen with many ovens and counters and fridges to fit the need of this bakery.

"It's beautiful Peeta."I say as I kiss his cheek.

"You think so?"

"Very much."

Her wraps me in a hug and says,"I can't wait to start building."

"When do you plan on building?"I ask.

"As soon as possible. Hopefully tomorrow."

"I can talk to Thom, I know that he has built most of district 12."

"Thank you, Katniss."He says kissing me.

"I love you so much,"he says with a big smile.

"I love you too, Peeta."

"Always,"he finishes.

* * *

The next day I find Thom. Him and Delly have a little house outside of the square. They are so cute together. He is very happy and willing to help when I tell him about the bakery. Even if he didn't want to, Delly said she would have made sure he helped Peeta.

"Thank you so much, Thom."I say before I leave. They start tomorrow. When I get home and tell Peeta, he is ecstatic.

"I can't thank you enough Katniss,"He says. I kiss him and say,"there's no need to thank me Peeta, I love you."

"I love you too,"he says and lifts me up in a twirl. I kiss him deeply and he holds me to him.

The next morning I wake up early with Peeta. He makes us breakfast and then we head to where the bakery lot is. We meet Thom there and he has his whole crew. "Morning Peeta, Katniss,"he says politely.

"Good morning Thom. Thank you so much for helping us out,"Peeta says shaking his hand.

"Anything for you and Katniss. Plus I've heard your pastries are the best." He says and we all laugh. "Thanks,"Peeta replys.

After that, Peeta shows him his vision for the bakery and they get into talks about supporting beams and insulation. So I tap Peeta on the shoulder and tell him I'm going to the forest.

As I step into the forest I can instantly smell the pine and dirt. I go to the trunk where my bow and arrows are hidden. Then I make my way to the lake. It's cold again and in a month Christmas will come.

Looking out over the freezing water, I think of my dad and Prim. I miss them so much. I also kind of miss my mom. She left to district 4 and hasn't come back because she can't handle it! She left me here in this hell hole, and if it weren't for Peeta, who knows what could have happened.

Earlier this year they lifted up my condemn on district 12 to 5 years. So in about 4 years I can go anywhere. Away from this nightmare, only it will never be truly over. And I don't think I can leave even though I'll be able to. My life with Peeta has already begun and we're making our home here.

I snap up to the sound of a twig breaking and see a doe. She has a little fawn with her too. But instead of shooting them like I normally would, I sit there and watch as they near the water for a drink.

I smile and watch until they leave. Slowly I get up and make my way back into town. When I get home, I find Peeta cooking dinner.

"I was getting worried about you, are you okay?"

I look at the clock and it turns out I was out there for the whole day. It's 6:00pm right now. "I'm sorry, I was just in thought."

"What about?"

"My mom. I haven't seen her at all."

"Oh..."

"She just left me here!"I yell as tears stream down my face. "You would have thought that after losing my dad and my sister that she would realize the value of life! That she was the only family left. I needed her and she wasn't there! She wasn't there for Prim and I,and she isn't here now! I was so alone, and I couldn't even escape this hell hole, and she just leaves because she can't handle it? I was so close to death, and if it weren't for you, I would have been long gone and she wouldn't have even cared! She doesn't even care, I bet she won't ever come to visit...even if we were to get married...She doesn't care about me." I say the last line quietly.

He opens up his arms and I cry into his shoulder. He doesn't know what to say so he just rubs my back and rocks me back and forth. "You love me,breal or not real?"He asks.

"Real."

"I've realized that you're all I need."I add on.

"You were what I always needed."

A/N so tell me what you thought of her little rant. Also try rereading that part with major emotion,it will give it more effect ;) I just thought she needed to get that off her chest.


	20. Mellark Bakery

Katniss pov

"Katniss, I have surprise for you."

"Um..Okay."I say slowly. He takes my hand and then puts his hands around my eyes. "Trust me,"he whispers in my ears. We are outside now but I don't know where we are. After a few minutes we stop and he lets up his hand. What stands before me is a beautiful building. The bakery. The sign says 'Mellark Bakery' and there is a Primrose, obviously hand drawn by Peeta.

In the planters bellow the windows, there are Primroses mixed in with the arrangements of Katniss plants and Rue. I gasp and hug Peeta. "It's beautiful Peeta! You-you-"

"I had to represent them in some way. I remember you telling me about how Prim loved to see the cakes I decorated and then I also thought of Rue, how she gave you strength, how if it weren't for both of them, we wouldn't be here. And then I thought of you. You are the reason I'm standing here today."

"Lets go inside."

He leads me inside and I see beautiful display cases, counters, and tables topped with one of the three plants. He leads me around the counter and through the door to the kitchen. The kitchen is perfect for Peeta. As we walk up the stairs he explains to me how he kept the layout exactly the same, but changed the design.

"We used to live above the bakery."He says and leads me to a room. "This is where my room used to be." He opens the door to a small room with a bathroom. This room has a small bed and bookshelves filled with recipes.

There is also an easel with painting supplies and paper. "This is so I can design cakes."He explains. Then he takes me across the hall to show me the empty rooms that he isn't sure what to do with.

When we go back downstairs, he shows me where his office is. On the door there is a plaque that says,'Peeta Mellark's office' and under that says ,'owner/manager' . He opens the door and on the inside there is a desk and behind it there is a really comfy chair. Against the wall is a couch and above it is a picture Peeta created.

I take a seat in his chair and find that he has a picture of me in a frame on his desk. I smile at the thought and I say,"you keep a picture of me here?"

"Yeah, it will help when I don't see you."

I smile and blush. Then I lean back in the chair and put my legs up on the desk. "Hmmm. Mr Mellark, what brings you to this office?"

"Well I'm afraid someone has taken over my office,"he plays along,"and I don't know how to get it back?"

"Hmm, that's a hard one, do you have any strengths over this person?"

"Matter of fact, I do. I have this one thing I do that makes her go crazy for me."

"Oh, can I see this 'thing'?"

"Well I don't know if it would be appropriate to show this thing to my co-owner. But if you wish."

He walks out and then comes back and there is obviously something huge hiding in his pants where his penis is. "Oh Mr Mellark, I believe this isn't appropriate at all, but we must see if it will work."

"I think so, she prefers it long and hard."

"Can I see?"

"Of course"

He reaches in his pants and then he pulls out giant bread sticks. I bust up laughing and then he says,"so do you think it will work?"

"Very so."

"Good, because if not, then I would have to pull out this."He says and grabs his groin. We both but up laughing and he swoops over and pulls me out of the chair. "Sorry ma'am,but I'm going to have to take this back." We fall onto the couch in a heap of laughter.

"So do you like the bakery?"He asks in seriousness.

"Yes, I love it."

He gets up and then takes my hand and leads me to the front. By the door, I notice a picture of both of us. I smile and then see that next to it is a mandatory thing for businesses, it says,'owned by:' but it's not completed.

"Peeta, you haven't filled this out."

"I have something more important to do before that."

"But this is mandatory?"

He works and says,"I didn't know what to put?"

"What do you mean you don't know what to put? You put-"

I'm cut off by Peeta getting down on one knee and reaching into his pocket to pull out a box.

"Katniss Everdeen, I have loved you since the first time I saw you smile and sing. Your hair was in two braids instead of one and you wore a red plaid dress. The teacher asked if anyone knew the valley song and your hand shot straight into the air and I knew then that I loved you. I always dreamed of the day I get to call you mine, and though the reason we got together in the first place may not be picture perfect, our love is. I want to spend every moment I have holding you, I love you so much. Will you marry me?"

I gasp and my eyes fill with tears.

"Of course Peeta,"I say happily. He gets up and puts the ring on my finger. I encase him on a kiss and whisper,"I love you,"to him. "I love you too." Then he breaks away and says,"one more thing." He disappears behind the counter and pulls out a plaque. He places it where it says,'owned by:' and it says 'Peeta and Katniss Mellark'.

"It's perfect,"I comment.

"You've made me so happy Katniss,"Peeta says and holds me again.

"You deserve happiness."

"You are my happiness."

"We complete each other."

"Always."

A/N yayyyyyyy!


	21. The Wedding Day

Katniss pov

We lay in front of the fire when I ask,"when do you want to get married?"

"Whenever you want to."He says sweetly.

"Tomorrow. I think we should tell Haymitch, he could be our witness. And then...I think I should call my mom."

"Of course, if that's what you want, we'll get married tomorrow."

"Yes, it's what I want."

"Okay. I love you,"he says.

"I love you too Peeta,"I say and pull him in for a gentle kiss.

* * *

The next morning I wake up early. I'm too excited to go back to sleep, so I make my way into the bathroom and shower while Peeta sleeps. I'm so caught up in my thoughts that I don't even notice the arms around me.

"You were in here so long, I thought I had to come save you."He says with a chuckle.

I turn in his arms and say,"well thank you, my Prince."

"Anytime,"he says and smiles at me.

Then he pours my shampoo and says,"let me help you,"and I do.

I relax in his arms and soon he is pulling me out saying,"if we ever want to get going we'll have to stop now, or we'll never get out of this house."

"Okay,"I say excitedly.

We make our way to Haymitch's house. He is passed out on the couch instead of the floor today. Oddly there's no puke around him. But the smell is still there. I shake him but he doesn't wake up. So I push him off the couch.

"God dammit! Do you have any pleasant ways to wake someone up?"

"She wakes me up just fine,"Peeta says laughing.

"There's a sexual relationship with you though, so you don't count."

"Speaking of our relationship..."I say.

"You're not pregnant are you?"

"No! No. "I say,"but Haymitch, we want you to do something for us..."

"I'm listening,"he says confused.

"We want you to be our witness at our signing."

"You mean your signing, like in 'you're getting married' ?"He asks and I smile.

"Yes,"Peeta says happily.

"Well, I'm proud of you two. And I'm happy for you guys. Yes, I would love to be your witness."

"Be ready in an hour,"Peeta says. I look at him confused. When we leave I ask,"why an hour? I want to get married as soon as possible."

"I know, love. But I want to go on a walk first and let Haymitch..freshen up. Okay?"

"Okay."

"And, you need to call your mother..."

"Can we go on a walk first? I don't think I'm exactly ready...I'll call her after we get married."

"Fine."

We walk hand in hand, through town to the forest. I lead him to the lake where we sit there staring at the beautiful water. Peeta plays with my hair as I lay in his lap. But before we know it, time passes by and its time to get married.

We make our way to Haymitch's house to find that for once he actually smells good. He is cleaned up and even shaved. His hair is actually combed and he looks younger. "Haymitch?! Is it even you?"I ask.

"In the flesh!"he says.

"I'm proud of you, you actually look nice."

"It's a special occasion. You two are like my kids, so I have to look nice for this. I owe you this."He says.

"Thank you, Haymitch."Peeta says.

We make our way to the justice building. We fill out the papers and are pronounced husband and wife. After as we walk out hand and hand Haymitch congratulates us and even gets us a bottle of wine.

"I'm proud of you two. After everything you've done and been through, you come together at last."He says and hugs us.

When Peeta and I get home, I remember what I have to do. I have to call my mom. Slowly I walk over to the phone. I turn around to look at Peeta, and he nods at me. So slowly as if it will bite me, I reach out to the phone and grasp it.

Peeta hands me a paper with her number on it, and I dial it. I listen to the sound of the ringing. I jump as soon as it stops.

"Hello?" Her voice calls from the other line. It sounds different, stronger.

"Hi, mom."I croak out.

"Katniss?!"She says surprised.

"M-Mom..."

"How are you? How's 12? I heard Peeta went back, is he okay?"She starts to ask.

"I actually have something to tell you,"I say.

"What is it?"

"I wanted to tell you...that I'm married to Peeta now."

There's silence at first, she must be taking in the information. Then finally she says,"that's wonderful news Katniss. I'm happy that you finally realized that you do love him."

"H-how did you-?"

"It was easy, as soon as I saw the way you acted in 13, I could tell."

"Oh,"is all I say.

"So, when did this happen?"

"When we got married? Today."

"Congratulations, is it okay if I talk to Peeta?"

"Yeah, of course."

I pull the receiver from my ear and say,"Peeta, my mom wants to tall to you."I say. He kind of looks nervous. But knowing him and his golden tongue, he should be fine.

After about 20 minutes, Peeta hands the phone back to me and says,"she wants to talk to you again."

"Thought you guys would never stop talking."I say. He smiles and kisses me.

"Hello?"

"Hey Katniss, so I wanted to see how things are for you."

"It's getting better. Peeta helps so much, he makes things..bearable. I feel like I can live again. But I still have nightmares about the games, and I don't go a day without thinking of her. Her and dad. I miss them so much."I say and a tear rolls down my face.

"Yeah, I miss them too. I also miss you, Katniss."

I'm silent for a while, until I finally get out,"me too,"quietly.

"So, how is 12?"

"It's getting rebuilt, and looking really good. Peeta reopened the bakery."

"We were talking about that,that sounds exciting."

"Yeah."

"So what's happened since you've been back?"

"Well,for a long time I was in a depression,until peeta came back. We've had some ups and downs but we've dealt with them. Peeta hurt his leg and had to get a new prosthetic,and then we started working on the bakery. And now we're married. What about you?"

"I got a job at the hospital as a doctor. I actually delivered Annie's son. The people are really nice here too. But yeah, it's nice here. But I do think that I will be taking trips back to 12 to see you and Peeta."

"Okay."

"Katniss, as your mom, I'm going to ask you something, okay?"

"Okay..."

"You guys are being careful right?"

"Of course we are. Besides the fact that Peeta hurt his leg, we are being careful."

"That's not what I meant, Katniss."

"Then what do you-OH!"I say and then am silent. Finally I say,"yes, we have been careful...we don't want kids right now. At least I don't, I can't handle it."

"Will you ever have kids Katniss?"She asks.

"I don't know. I don't want any but I know that Peeta, he does. But I think we are too broken. I just can't handle that. What if the games come back? What about the capitol? What if they try something? I can't lose any more people I love. I just can't."by now I'm in tears.

"It's okay Katniss, I think he will understand, and I think you might not be ready yet, but if you change your mind, I want you to know that you would make a wonderful mother."

"Thank you,"I say as I wipe my tears.

"Have you guys have your toasting yet?"

"No,"I say.

"I'll let you guys get to that. I love you."

"Bye, I love you too."

"Oh, and tell my new son in law that I love him too."

"Okay, I will."

After I hang up,I let out a big sigh and that's when Peeta walks in.

"Are you okay?"

"Yeah, it was just, just different and hard."

"Come here,"he holds his arms open for me.

"So what did my mom say to you?"

"She congratulated me, then asked me what I had been up to. So we talked about the bakery, then she talked to me about how happy she is that I am the one marrying you, and that she knows I'll treat you right. Then we just got in a conversation about how 12 is dealing and district 4."

"Oh, she wanted me to tell you that she loves you."He smiles

"Whaut did she say to you?"He asks.

"She asked me what's happened since we've returned. And she asked me if, um, we were being careful."

"Oh..."He turns beet red.

"She also talked about kids with me."I see a hint of a smile on his face when I say that and it breaks my heart.

"Ready for our toasting?"I ask changing the subject.

"I've been ready since I was 5, Katniss."

A/N sorry don't hate me but their toasting will be next chapter


	22. The Toasting

Katniss pov

Peeta and I sit in front of the blazing fire with goofy grins on our faces. Finally the bread is toasted, so we each take a piece and prepare to feed it to each other.

Peeta clears his throat and then begins,"Katniss Everdeen Mellark, God I love hearing that, I have loved you since the day I laid eyes on you. Your hair in two braids instead of one, and you were wearing a plaid dress. You were so happy, and when the teacher asked who knew the valley song, your hand shot straight up into the air, and you said that your dad taught you that song and started to sing. Your voice made the birds stop to listen...Then you saved me. You have been saving me for a long time. And for that, I am grateful. I love you, Katniss, with all my heart, all my exsistance, I love you."

I feel a few tears stream down my face and I smile at him.

"Only recently have I allowed myself to love. But it was you who changed my mind. I never thought that I would get married or have kids, I didn't want to. But then you came along and I realized how much I actually loved you. I couldn't go on without you. And when I found out that you didn't love me anymore, I broke. But you are the strongest most loving person ever, because you came back to me. Peeta, I use to be afraid to admit that I loved you, but now I'm not. Peeta, I love you with all that I am. I love you."

We feed each other bread and then after Peeta leans over and kisses me. My arms wrap around him as he scoops me up and brings us up to our room...

After, I lay in his arms and breath in his scent as he snores lightly. I smile as I toy with his curls. I kiss his cheek and I can't help but think of how lucky I am to have him. He turns over, which pushes me off of his chest and nearly off the bed.

I wrap my arms around him and place a kiss right between his chest. I rest my head against it and listen to his familiar heart beat. The steady rhythm of it. Thump-thump thump-thump. I can't help the smile that comes to my face. I feel him stir again, but this time I hear his breathing become ragged.

I close my eyes as my head rests against his chest. I feel him stroke my head and then rest his hand on my bare back. Slowly he rubs circles on it. Then I feel his lips against my forehead as I start to drift off.

When I wake up the next morning, he is awake and staring at me. I smile and kiss his beautiful lips.

"Morning, Mrs Mellark,"He says with a smirk.

"Morning handsome."

"You are going to be so happy."

"Why?"

"Because I'm making you so much food this morning."

"Oooo, I think I like being your wife,"I say and wink. He kisses my forehead and then gets up to go cook. Later when he comes in with a giant tray full of food, I nearly explode. He has eggs, cheese buns, fruit, bacon, and waffles!

"Holy shit Peeta, are you trying to make me fat?"I joke.

He laughs and sets it down right in front of me. "It's okay, with all the um...excersize...you'll get, you should be fine."He winks. I turn beet red and I hear him chuckle, muttering something about being pure.

I push him and he laughs even louder. Then we start to eat our food, I can't help but moan at how delicious it is. He smiles at me, saying"I'm guessing you're enjoying this?"

"Very,"is all I say as I stuff my face with more food.

When we are done, he takes the tray down while I go to take a shower...

A week later Peeta and I sit in front of the fireplace when the door bell rings. Of course we are naked as I lay on his chest with a blanket around us.

"It's probably just Haymitch, he'll go away."He states

"Yeah..."I say sleepily.

Then I shoot up. "Haymitch wouldn't ring the bell, he'd just walk in."

That gets Peeta's attention.

He puts on his boxers while I run upstairs to grab clothes or just wait until the person is gone. I hear small chatter but I can't make out anything until I hear Peeta yell from the bottom of the stairs.

"Katniss, um..you should come down, there's someone here for us."He yells. I quickly change and make my way down. Halfway down the stairs I stop in my tracks. Standing next to Peeta, is my mom. Peeta blushes deeply as he stands in his underwear next to his new mother-in-law.

"I'm going to change..."He says before running upstairs.

"Hello Katniss."She says formally. She looks better, she doesn't look lost anymore. She looks like the mother she use to have, before she left her and Prim.

Katniss smiles at her mother and walks over to hug her. She hasn't hugged her mother in so long, it's almost foreign.

"Congratulations, sweetie."My mom says.

"Thank you."

"I can't form into words how proud of you I am. You have come so far, both of you. And dad and Prim would be so happy for you."

By then Peeta comes down fully clothed. "It's nice to see you again, you look lovely, Mrs Everdeen."

"Thank you, Peeta. You are very nice, as always, and you can call me mom now."

"Okay...mom."

She smiles and then says,"I'm sorry for coming up on such short notice, I see you guys are...um..busy...but I will be staying here for a few days."

Both of us blush deeply and she laughs lightly saying,"it's okay, I understand. I remember being a newlywed too."

"Here, I'll get your bags."Peeta says taking her bags.

As soon as he is gone I apologize again,"I'm sorry about..um..Peeta in his underwear and the messy house, if I would have known-"

"You didn't know I was coming...I actually came earlier but before I got to your house, Haymitch stopped me on his way back from the store. He told me that I should probably go to town or something. He also wants me to tell you to close your Windows so that he can sleep."

"Oh..."I say embarrassed.

Peeta returns and asks,"would you like something to drink? I have cookies too."He says and we all walk into the kitchen. This will be an interesting week...


	23. Trouble With Paradise

Katniss pov

The next few days are filled with awkwardness, tears, and even a few laughs. It's hard seeing my mother again, but in a way it's good because it shows that she does care. Her and Peeta really hit it off though.

She seems to just adore him. They bond over cooking and the bakery, and even me. She listens as Peeta tells her about how much he loves me. They even get into the topic of children when they think I'm not listening.

Peeta already took a shower, so him and my mom sit in the living room talking while I went up to take a shower. I walk down the hall upstairs and eventually, before the stairs come, the wall ends and banister starts. From the banister you can see the small seating area that is our living room.

I stop at the corner where the wall meets the banister when I hear my mom ask,"so, do you plan on having any kids?"

"I don't know, Katniss doesn't want any kids, but I would love to have a family of my own. I love kids so much, but I know how Katniss feels and I wouldn't force anything that she doesn't want. So we haven't really talked about it much. Plus we are barely married, I don't think we are exactly ready for a baby, we're still very young. I think eventually I will be able to show her how amazing kids are, I hope."

"You know Peeta, she doesn't realize that she already was an amazing mother. She took care of Prim when I didn't and acted like a mother to her. I think she has a fear of not being a great mother, but she already has been a wonderful one."

When she talks about Prim, I have to bite my lip to not let a cry out. Then she goes on to say,"Peeta, I have a feeling that you'll be a great father, you remind me of my husband, he was so loving and kind. And you, Peeta I couldn't have asked for a better husband for her."

"Thank you, mom,"Peeta says with a smile.

I walk back into my room and let tears fall from my eyes. I rock back and forth as I break down thinking about Prim and that Peeta deserves kids, but I just can't give them to him.

Eventually I cry myself to sleep and don't wake up until I feel Peeta getting into bed. I keep my eyes shut as he pulls me against him, his big arms wrapping me in a warm embrace. I sigh as soon as he kisses my nose and open my eyes.

His beautiful blue eyes are shining at me like night stars. His perfect lips form my name and then kiss me. Then he says,"I thought you were going to come down after your shower?"He asks confused.

"I was but..."

"What is it?"

"I-uh..."

"Katniss, what's troubling you? I can see it in your eyes, what's wrong?"

"I heard you talking to my mom about kids,"I say not looking at his face.

"Oh..."is all he says looking away from me. "Listen, Katniss, about that-"

"No, Peeta. You don't have to apologize for wanting something. It's just, you deserve everything you want and this, this I just can't give you...I'm sorry,"I say tears welling up in my eyes.

"Katniss,you're all I need, besides, we are still very young. It's too early to have kids. We are barely 20."

"Okay,"I say as a few tears fall.

"I love you so much."

"I love you too, Peeta."

* * *

The next morning my mom's train arrives. We all head out to the train station, and even Haymitch comes along. My mother bids her farewell to Peeta and then she gives me a huge embrace. "I am so proud of you, Katniss. I love you."

"I love you too, mom."

"I will come back, I promise. Stay well."

"Okay ,you too."

Then she climbs into the train, and that's the last time I'll see her for a while. When Peeta and I return home he starts to kiss my neck and shoulder. "We have the house to ourselves again...and I miss you...being in you."

"Peeta,"I say a little mad.

That instantly stops him and I see a frown on his face.

"Katniss, are you still thinking about last night. I told you you're all I need."

"No,"I lie and walk away. I hear him sigh as I make my way up to our room and lock myself in the bathroom. Honestly I don't mean to be so hard on Peeta, but I just need to think about this.

I sit there for a long time until I hear Peeta's familiar footsteps. They lead up to the door and then they stop. At first I don't hear anything, so he might be thinking about whether or not to disturb me. Then finally he knocks on the door lightly.

"Katniss,"his voice is hoarse and ragged, not like his velvety smooth voice.

"Please, Katniss, please don't do this to me,"he pleads.

I open the door to find him staring at me. His hair is tossled and his eyes are red. He obviously just had a flashback. "Peeta,"I sigh and run my hand through his hair.

"Katniss, you have to tell me what's wrong, you can't do this to me! Please tell me what I did. Please Katniss,"Peeta says as he breaks down in front of me.

"Peeta, you didn't do anything...this is my fault, I'm sorry."

"Katniss, I have to know what is wrong. When you walked away, I lost it, I lost it because I didn't know what I did! I didn't know what happened. Just please Katniss, don't do this to me."

"Peeta, I just, I had to think about it. You deserve so much better. You deserve everything you want. But I can't give it to you. You deserve a better wife, one that can give you a baby."

"That's not true."

"Peeta, don't lie-"

"I'm not lying. Katniss, I love you and only you. That's why I married you. Do you think after everything we've been through,that I wouldn't want you because you don't want kids? I told you Katniss, you're all I need, and we are too young to have kids anyway. And after my flashback, that shows I'm not ready anyways."

"Peeta..."

"Just please don't do that to me."

"I'm sorry Peeta...I love you, you know that, right?"

"Of course, I love you too."

"I guess this is just trouble in paradise, huh?"He says and kisses my forehead.

"Yeah,"I say as he pulls me into him and I smooth out his hair.


	24. The Day At The Bakery

Katniss pov

Today I wake up with Peeta and go with him to the bakery. I like going to the bakery because I get to watch as Peeta creates beautiful cakes and cupcakes. Plus, his employees are nice. Peeta did a favour for Hazelle by hiring Rory, which was a great idea because he is a wonderful employee. Then there is Tyler, Delly's brother, who Peeta has known forever.

While Peeta tells them what they are doing today, I finish a cheese bun. Then when he's done, he sits next to me and smiles. "I'm so proud of them."He says.

"Why?"

"They are making their first creative cake for me to put on the stands, and they are looking amazing!"

"Wow ,that sounds great!"I say happily.

"Want to work in the front with me?"He asks.

"Okay..."

"Cone on it'll be fun."He says taking my hand.

When we get into the front. Peeta picks me up by my hips and places me on the counter. First he gives me a kiss on my nose, and then my lips. Since there are no customers yet, Peeta deepens the kiss and wraps his arms around me. My hand is holding onto his curls.

"Eh-hem,"we hear from behind us.

Peeta turns to see an older woman at the counter.

"Peeta,"she says in her Scottish accent,"that's not proper educate!"

"Good morning Delores."He greets her with a smile,"your usual?"

"Yes please, dear."

"So is this beauty your girlfriend?"She asks.

"No, this is actually my wife."

"Oh! How long have you been married?"She asks excitedly.

"We've been married for two weeks."

"Oh, how wonderful. You've only been married for a wee bit."She says,"you know, I was married at your age."

"How long we're you married for?"

"We were married 32 years before he died."

"Wow."

"This year would've been 42."

"Well, I know that we will be able to have a forever love, like you and your husband."Peeta says taking my hand.

"I believe you will."

"How are your children and grandchildren?"Peeta asks.

"Oh,me daughter was killed in the bombing sadly, me son moved to the capitol because he is apart of the government now, however me grandchildren are great. Jared married Greasy Sae's granddaughter, Giselle. And me little Sammy, well she's not so little anymore, is pregnant."

"With who?"

"Oh, with the lad named John, I believe that's Thom's brother."

"Yeah, it is."I speak up.

"Hello dear,"she says sticking her hand out,"I'm Delores."

"Katniss,"I say shaking her hand.

"Delores would always come for as long as I remember. She's like family, like the mom I never had. She still comes every morning, like always."Peeta says with a big smile.

"You're such a sweet boy, I'm so happy to see you so happy, dear."She says patting his cheek.

"Thank you."

"And you, first of all, thank you for what you've done to panem,"she says sincerely. "You are such a beauty, and I couldn't be happier for Peeta."

"Thank you, Delores."

"Now I must be going, have a wonderful day, Mr and Mrs Mellark."She says smiling as she leaves.

Peeta wraps his arms around me and pulls me into a tight hug from behind. That's when a young mother with two kids. "Good morning, Christina."Peeta greets them. "Hi Peeta!"she says. That's when the two girls pop up and say,"hi Peetaw!"

"I said it fiwst!"

"No I did!"

"Na ah!"

"Ya huh!"

"Girls!"Their mom scold.

"Girls, you both said hi, it doesn't matter who said it first,"Peeta says in a sweet voice.

"Okay..."

"You guys are so adorable, how old are you?"

"Tree!"

"I'm fouw!"

"Wow! You girls are getting so big!"

"How old awe you?"

"Me? I'm 20 years old!"

The girls start giggling and he says,"I know, I know, I'm old,"he jokes.

"So what will it be today, Chris?"

"Uh, I don't know, what do you recommend for breakfast?"

"Well, Katniss always asks for cheese buns, so I recommend those."

"Okay I'll take some."

Peeta grabs them and then asks me to ring her up for him. As I do so, I look over to see him giving the girls some cookies.

As soon as we are done the mom turns to the girls and sees that they have the cookies,"girls! Where did you get those!"she scolds.

"Oh, no I gave them those."Peeta says.

"Peeta, You don't have to do that!"

"It's quite alright ma'am."

She smiles at him and then turns to me,"you are so lucky, he is just the sweetest thing!"

"Yeah, I definitely am lucky!"

One of the little girls, look at me and says,"who awe you?"

"This is my wife, Katniss,"Peeta tells them.

"Oh, she pwetty!"

"Thank you,"I say.

Peeta kisses my cheek and says,"she is very pretty!"

"Come along girls."

"You really are sweet, I'm so lucky,"I say kissing his cheek.

"I know!"he says with a smirk and we laugh.

"I'm the lucky one, actually,"he says and I wrap my arms around his neck. "I love you,"I say.

"I love you too,"he says.

After a long day, Peeta finally puts the closed sign up. I'm so exaughsted that as Peeta cleans up I end up falling asleep on the counter, as I drift off, I feel Peeta pick me up as he laughs lightly. He kisses my lips and I snuggle into his arms.

I open my eyes to see that he is carrying me home. "Peeta?"I say sleepily.

"Hmm?"

"I really am lucky,"then I pass out in his arms...

I wake up as Peeta is getting in bed. I feel bad because he is so out of it, yet he carried me home. I wrap him in my arms and kiss his forehead. He looks so young when he sleeps, so perfect. He is. He's my boy with the bread, my love.

I smile at him and then fall asleep while holding him.


	25. Christy

Katniss pov

I wake up to find Peeta still in bed. It's a Monday, and usually on Mondays he goes to the bakery early. I shake him to wake him. "Hmm?" He groans turning to me.

"I thought you go early to the bakery on Monday?"I ask.

"Lockdown. There's been another pack of mutts. A bad one too."

"I thought we, were done with those!"I groan.

"Guess not. On the bright side I get to spend my day with you."

Right as he leans over to kiss me, a big fat furry thing jumps between us. "Buttercup!"I exclaim.

He had disappeared for a long time. I thought he was dead. Peeta figured he went away to the meadow. I guess losing Prim affects that dumb cat too. "I found him this morning. I guess he sensed danger."

"Stupid cat."I say.

"Don't lie, I know you missed him."

"I did not!"

"I think you did."He says slyly.

"Maybe a little."He smiles and kisses my cheek. Buttercup hisses and jumps off the bed. "S_mart move," _I think. Peeta pulls me on top of him and starts to kiss me until we hear a growl.

"Was that you growling?"I ask.

"Noooo, I thought that was you growling."

"Growling?"I ask. Quickly I jump off of him and go to the window. I see a whole pack of mutts. That's when I hear a scream. I look over to see a small thin girl who looks to be about 11. My eyes go wide and I run to get my bow. "What is it?"Peeta asks as I run.

I don't answer him just run to save that girl. As soon as I step out, I see the mutts closing in on her. "Hey!"I yell out so that the mutts turn to me. I load my bow and let the arrow fly into its eye. I smile at the instant death of the mutt. Then another one and another until the last one remains. I reach for another arrow but there aren't any. The mutt is closing in on me and right as it jumps, another figure jumps out, stabbing it.

"Peeta!"I gasp as he yanks out his machete. "Are you okay?"He asks. I nod and then quickly turn to the girl. "Are you okay?"I ask.

She runs to me and hugs me. "Thank you so much!"she cries into me. I wrap my arms around her and hold her as she cries. Her long dark hair is in her face, so I move it out of her eyes. That's when I notice that her eyes remind me of Peeta's.

"What we're you doing out? We are in a lockdown!"I say.

"I know, but my grandmother needs her medicine! I had to get it to her."

"Where does she live?"I ask.

"She lives a few houses down, she just moved into the victors village."

"I'm going with you."I say.

"Me too."Peeta says.

We follow her to her grandma's house and talk to her. We find out that her name is Christy. She smiles as she talks about her grandma. Her mom died giving birth to her and her dad died in the same mining accident that mine did. She said that her grandma has always taken care of her, but received a form of a disease called mesothelioma from the house they lived in.

When we get to her house, she lets us in, leading us to the living room. "Christy! Where have you been?"her grandma asks in a scratchy voice and coughs.

"I got you your medicine, you need it."

"But we are in a lockdown! Your safety is more important." That's when she notices us. "Oh my, it's Katniss Everdeen and Peeta Mellark!"

"Katniss Mellark, actually."I say. She smiles and says,"please, sit down, um, is there anything I can get you two?"

"No we're fine, we just wanted to make sure Christy got home safely."

"She saved me! They both did!"she blurts out.

"I can't thank you two enough!"her grandmother says. "I'm Julianne."

"Peeta,"he says shaking her hand.

"I must give you guys something! How could I ever repay you?"

"There's no need."Katniss says.

"Oh, but you saved Christy! Maybe I could sew you something? Do you like quilts?"

"I love quilts but I can't except that!"I say.

"No, please take this," she says pulling out a quilt. "Plus, I can't let him walk out there without a shirt! It's freezing and you'll get a cold."She says pointing to a shirtless peeta.

"Thank you."I say, giving in.

"Why don't you come for dinner tonight?"I ask.

"Why that would be lovely but I don't want to impose."

"You wouldn't, please do,"I plead.

"Okay, around 6 if the lockdown is over?"She asks.

"Sure."

After that,as we walk home Peeta wraps the quilt around both of us. "It's getting really cold."He says.

"Yeah, but you also don't have a shirt on."I state.

"True."

When we get inside, Buttercup runs up to circle Peeta and meow at him. "Hey buddy,"he says scratching him behind the ears. He purrs and then meows again. Peeta bends down to pick him up and cuddles him. "He's so warm!"he says.

I wrap my arms around Peeta and say,"you're freezing Peeta!"

Quickly I get a shirt for him and light a fire. He sets down the cat as he puts on his shirt and then wraps his arms around me in front of the fire. "You're cold too."He says.

"Maybe I could warm you up."He whispers in my ear. I smile and lean into his embrace. "Maybe you should."I say. I hear him chuckle and say,"hmm, with how sexy you are, I might just have to."

Afterwards we lay there until we hear the siren that's informs us that the lockdown is over. As we lay there, the door bursts open and Haymitch runs in. "Are you guys okay, I saw all the dead mu-"he stops when he sees us wrapped in a blanket blushing on the floor.

"You guys are fine."He mumbles walking out. Peeta and I let out an embarrassed laugh at his face. "Guess we'll have some explaining to do at dinner."Peeta says.


	26. The Old Habbits Die Hard

Katiss pov

As Peeta makes dinner, I am sent to fetch Haymitch. Of course I find him surrounded by bottles upon bottles of liquor. "Come on Haymitch! Dinner."I say when I walk in. "You two better keep it tamed."He growls.

"If I remember correctly, you were the one who walked into our house."I say.

"Well you could've at least gone to the bedroom!"

"We're married and can do whatever, wherever, whenever we want in OUR house."

"As long as I don't see it, I'm fine."He says putting up his hands.

"Come on, Peeta's waiting for us,"I say.

He gets up and grabs the bottle next to him then walks towards the door. When we get to my house, Peeta already has dinner ready and the table set. Haymitch takes a swig of his drink and says,"so what exactly happened today? Explain the dead mutts in front of your house?"

"Well, I woke up to Peeta still in bed and he told me that there was a lockdown, so I went to kiss him and we heard growling and when I looked out the window, there was a girl and she screamed. I had to help her, so I got my bow and I went to help her. I was shooting them when I ran out of arrows and there was one left. That's when Peeta came out with his machete and saved me."I say turning to Peeta with a smile.

"Hurray! Peeta is such a hero!"he says sarcastically. "So what about the girl?"

"She was just getting medicine for her grandma, so we helped her get back to her. She moved into one of the houses here. She was really sweet and gave us that blanket,"I say pointing to the blanket on the floor.

"Ugh, remind me not to touch the quilt, you two have soiled it!"he says.

Peeta and I chuckle embarrassed at what he said. "Well, I'm glad you two saved that little girl, but what about those mutt bodies out there? I don't suppose you could eat those, they look like even eating it would kill you."

"Yeah, and I don't want to try, probably give us food poisoning!"I say.

"What's with all these lockdowns anyways?"Peeta asks while shoving food in his mouth. I can only imagine what it would be like if Effie was here to see him.

"I don't know, but I think we should find out. Now, obviously the only place where mutts come from are the capitol..."

"Like the jabberjays,"I say.

"Exactly."

"The jabberjays were released by the capitol, right?"Peeta asks.

"Yeah, and then they mated with the mockingbirds."

"So you think they released them out into the forest like last time?"

"They did it once, they could easily do it again."Haymitch says.

I nod and then start to eat some more. When we are done Haymitch says,"I'm tired of all this worrying, it takes too much."

"Worrying? It's not like you ever go out anyway."I say.

"Belive it or not, sweetheart, but I do care about you two."

After a while I say,"I know Haymitch. You've done a lot."I whisper as I look out the window.

"You and Peeta are like my children...and if anything were to ever happen to you guys..."

"Thank you, Haymitch."I say and hug him. It's rare for me to hug him.

"But, I need to ask you something..."

"What is it?"I groan.

"I need you to call Gale about this. I know that you don't exactly like to think about him, but he is in the government, he might know something,and might be able to do something about it."

"Haymitch-"

"Do you want all these lockdowns and mutts?"

"No but-"

"Katniss,"he says.

"Ugh...fine, but don't say anything to Peeta,"I whisper.

"Okay."

That's when Peeta comes in and wraps his arms around me. He kisses my neck and whispers,"I love you, Katniss."

"I love you too, Peeta."

"Well, that's my cue to go."Haymitch says.

Peeta smiles and kisses my neck again. I turn to kiss his cheek and he says,"shall we go to bed?"

"Mmmhmmm."

* * *

The next day I wake up to find that Peeta has already left for the bakery. Perfect, now I can call Gale. I don't know exactly why I don't want Peeta to know, but I know I don't.

I make my way to the phone and stare at it for a long time. I don't know how much time passes until I finally reach out to grab it. Looking over at a piece of paper, I dial the nurse.

It rings a few time and I feel every ring go through my body.

"Hello?"

"Hi Gale, it's Katniss."I say almost as light as a whisper.

"H-hey Katniss...um..what's up?"

"I uh, I just wanted to talk..."

"You wanted to talk? Um, sure...What about?"

"Well it's been a while, so um..how are you?"

"I'm, I'm fine. "

"What do you do?"I ask.

"I'm apart of the government, I'm making sure the games never come back."

"Good...good. Do you still live in 2?"

"I do, but I make a lot of trips to 7, so I have a house there."

"7? You must see Johanna a lot."I say.

"Yeah, I do actually. We hang out most of the time."

"She's a great person."I say.

"Yeah...What about you? I uh, I saw the reports, you and Peeta are together now, huh?"

At first I don't say anything. Finally I say,"yeah, we are..um..actually Gale-"

"You aren't pregnant are you?"

"NO! No, no...but we are married."

"Figures."

"But Gale that's not exactly what I want to talk about now,"I say.

"Then what do you want to talk about?"

"We have a problem in 12."

"That's it, I'm coming to 12..."


	27. Gale

A/N I saw mockingay today and omg! They did such an amazing job on everything, especially peeta.

Katniss pov

"That's it, I'm coming to 12..."

"Gale-"

But he already hung up. I sigh and let out a frustrated groan. I have to tell Peeta. I get dressed and run to the bakery. As soon as I get in, I grab Peeta and lead him to his office.

"What is it?"He asks.

"So I talked to Gale to see if he knew anything about the mutts."

"And?"

"He's coming to 12."

He lets out a sigh,"oh."

"But he can help us."

"Okay. I love you."

"I love you too."

Later that day, while Peeta and I are in the front part of the bakery, a familiar face walks in. "Gale." I whisper. He looks practically the same, except for a little stubble growing on his chin. And he's stronger now.

"Hi catnip."

"Gale, don't call me that."

"Okay, Katniss."

"So what's the problem?"

"We have a mutt problem."

"Mutts?"

"Yeah, we keep having to go into lock downs because of mutts. I was wondering if you knew anything about it, or how to stop it."

"We should go somewhere else." He says.

"Meet us at our house for dinner, we'll talk then."I say.

"Okay, I should see my family anyways."

"See you later."

As Peeta gets dinner ready I pace nervously. Will Peeta have a flashback? Does Gale still love me? I hope not. He said he was close to Johanna, maybe they'll get together. Peeta kisses me and says,"relax. Katniss, everything will be fine. I swear. I know that you're worried about me, Katniss, you can't fool me."

I let out a sigh and he pulls me to him. "It's okay, plus I think it actually might be nice to see Gale. You can't forget the friendship you had."

"You're right,it's just-p-p-"

"Shhh, it's okay."

Then the door rings. I open it up to find Gale standing there. "Hey, Katniss."

I lead him in and we all eat. After he says,"so, um, how are you two?"

"Well, we're married now."

"Congratulations."He says and its genuine.

"What about you?"Peeta asks.

"Well, I've been seeing Johanna."

"That's great!"I say,"how is she?"

"Still angry but she's a lot better."

"Sounds like her. We'll have to see her soon."Peeta says.

"So, the problem..."

"There's been lock downs because of mutts. We don't exactly know where they are coming from, but we think the woods."

"But only the capitol can create mutts."

"Exactly. These mutts, they're starting to look more like the wild dogs though. They don't look like a normal mutt but they don't look completely like the dogs.."

"You think they mated together?"

"Yeah, like the mockingjays."

"But why were they out there in the first place?" Peeta asks.

"Hmm, that's weird. The capitol is different now...they wouldn't just through them out there near a district, would they?"

"We don't know, but your in the government so we thought that you might know. It put a little girl in danger, Gale."I say.

"What happened?"

"She was out getting her grandmother medicine that she needed, when they targeted her. I shot them and then they were after me. Then Peeta came out and stabbed one that was about to attack me."

"This is a major problem...Paylor won't be happy."

"So you can do something about it?"I ask.

"I'll try."

Later we all sit there drinking tea. Our conversation has shifted from being about the problem, to our families.

"So how's your family?"I ask.

"They're good. Posy is in kindergarten now. And Vick is in his last year of high school and Rory is just beginning it."

Rory was the same age as Prim. He was best friends with her. That makes me sad.

"And my mom, she cleans houses for people."

"That's what Haymitch needs." I joke.

"I'm pretty sure that would scare her off."Peeta says laughing.

"You know, I saw your mom when I was in 4. She looks better."

"Yeah, she came after we got married. She does look better."

"That's good. I heard she works at the hospital there."

"Yeah, she's a really good doctor now."

Finally when Gale is gone, I turn to peeta and he holds me. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah it was just hard talking about my mother and I was thinking about Prim...and Gale, he's changed so much."

"I know, Katniss. But I also think it's a good thing. He's changed back into your old friend, he may be a little different, but he'll always be your friend."

"You're right." I sigh.

"Did you notice that he's being all secretive with his relationship between him and Johanna?"

"Yeah, I did notice that."I say a little confused.

"I wonder what's up?"He asks.

"I don't know. But i'm tired, let's go to bed, peeta." I say.

A week passes quietly, until Gale comes to our house out of breath as if he was running and says,"Johanna has decided to come see you. But there's something you should know, her and I-"

"I'm back, bitches!"she yells out as she runs in. What we see is very shocking to us...

A/N so what do you think is with our lovely little Johanna? Please review and tell me watcha think!


	28. Johanna

Katniss pov

"I'm back, bitches!"

We all stare at her in shock. This is not the Johanna I knew before. No. She acts the same but it can't be! This Johanna is heavily pregnant.

"Well, don't just sit there with your mouths open. Come greet your old friend."

Slowly I walk over to her and hug her. "Johanna, your..."

"Pregnant? I know. Hell, if I didn't with this stomach there would be something seriously wrong. Well, more than what is already wrong."She snorts.

"It's definitely surprising."I say.

"Come here, Peeta Bread. So, I'm surprised that you haven't put a bun in the oven. You two married yet? Well actually I'm pretty sure you've fucked already but-"

"Yes, we're married."

"Wow, glad to see you two together."

"Thank you."

"So, um, how'd this happen?"

"Well, you see Gale here, took that fine dick of his and shoved it up-"

"I know how that goes! I mean the two of you and all this,"I say waving my arms around as I'm sure my face is bright red.

"Oh, well Gale spent a lot of time in 7. So we got closer and then this kinda happened..."

"Oh."

"Why were you so secretive about this!"I say to Gale. "When I asked how you were doing you could've said oh yeah, by the way I knocked up Johanna Mason!"

"That's the thing, I can't. The government can't know."

"Why not?"Peeta asks.

"Because I could possibly lose my job. They don't exactly want their officials to be running around knocking people up. Especially not an ex-Victor."

"That's stupid, it's your life they shouldn't care about that, it shouldn't matter."

"My family doesn't even know."

"Don't you think you should at least tell them?"

"You're right...she'll be mad that I kept this from her."He says.

"You guys can stay here if you want?"

"Okay, that might be the best."

After dinner, Gale leaves to tell his family. Johanna stays because she isn't exactly feeling well. Gale is taking forever so we all decide to call it a night.

I wake up only a few hours later. Peeta is asleep, but I know after that nightmare, I won't be able to. So I decide to go downstairs to get something to eat. As I pass the room Johanna is staying, I hear light weeps.

I open up the door to find a crying Johanna. She looks up as soon as I open the door and starts to wipe her tears with the side of her hand. "Oh, hey brainless, sorry I woke you up."

"You didn't, the nightmares did...what's wrong?"

"This whole pregnancy thing! I'm not the motherly type, I'm not a person who should have kids."

"Johanna, I know that you think that, but you don't know that for sure. As soon as that baby is in your arms, I know you'll be a perfect mother. And Gale is great with kids, he'll be there to help."

"I'm surprised you and Peeta don't have kids, I know you two would make great parents."She says quietly. I don't reply to that.

"I'm scared Katniss, I've never really had any experience with kids and I don't even know where I stand with Gale."

"What do you mean?"

"This started out as a one night stand, Gale was in 7, at a bar and so was I. Then we had sex and he had to go back to 2. But then slowly, every time he came back to 7 he would find me. For both of us it was just to let out stress and anger but we still had some type of bond. Then one day we started to hang out more and slowly got to know each other. That's when I found out I was pregnant and since then Gale has been acting weird because he doesn't want to lose his job."

"I'm sorry, Johanna."

"Like I said before, I'm just scared. I'm scared the capitol will kill it like it did everyone else I loved. I can't risk that."

"I understand what you mean. That's why don'tI want kids. Peeta does though."

"I think you'd make a great mom, Katniss. Way better than I would be."

"Come here."I say and pull her close to me. She lightly cries into my shoulder and eventually calms down.

"If you ever say anything about this, I will throw my axe in your face."

"There's my Johanna."I say and hear her chuckle.

I don't know when, but we end up falling asleep. I wake up when the door opens and I see Gale standing there. Johanna is still asleep so I carefully get up and whisper,"how did everything go?"

"My mom was mad, but eventually she got over it and then starred teaching me about parenting."He whispers back.

"Oh, cool."I say,"I should go back before Peeta wakes up."

"Okay."

I make my way back to my bedroom to find that he is indeed, still asleep. His breathing is a little heavy though. I walk up to him on his side to see that his face in contorted with fear and his body is still. He's having a nightmare.

I crawl into bed and pull him close to me saying,"Peeta wake up! It's just a nightmare. Not real. Peeta wake up!"

Finally he is pulled from his dream and into reality. "Katniss!"he says and hugs me to him. He lets out a content sigh into my hair as his arms loop around my back tighter. "I love you."He whispers.

"I love you too,"I whisper back.

This makes me think back to the time on the train.

_"Why don't I ever know when you're having a nightmare?"_

_"Because I don't scream and thrash around. I freeze in my sleep."_

_"You should wake me."_

_"My dreams are usually about losing you, I'm okay once I realize your here."_

_"You should still wake me."_

I kiss his lips with such a passion, he moans into my mouth. His hand moves to my shirt and I know I should stop him because we all know that I can't be quiet and we have guests only a few feet away...

The next morning when I wake up, Peeta isn't there. I can here him whistling and look to the open door of the bathroom. Peeta stands, in only a towel, in front of the mirror. He's shaving the small stubble that has grown on his face. I lay there watching him when his towel drops. As he goes to pick it up, he makes eye contact with me and smiles, not picking it up.

I don't know why, but I blush as I see him. He just laughs and says,"so pure, Katniss."

This makes me turn full blown scarlet. He starts to walk over to where I am and he still hasn't picked up the towel. He hops on the bed and poses next to me and when he sees my face, he busts up laughing.

"What!"

"I just find it funny that we've been having sex for how long? And the sight of me still makes you blush."

I smack his arm which makes him only laugh harder. Then finally he gets up and finishes getting ready. I get up and go to take a shower and before he leaves to go downstairs, he kisses me on the cheek.

When I get downstairs, I find a very disgruntled looking Gale, a laughing Johanna, and a blushing Peeta. When Johanna notices me she yells out,"and there's the lucky woman now!"

My eyes go wide and she just laughs harder. "Look at that beautiful sex glow!"

"What-"

"Oh, you can't possibly think you were quiet, now can you?"

"Uh-"

"Oh, brainless you are so pure! Or maybe you aren't so pure, well with the stuff you were screaming out!"

Then in her mock Katniss voice she says,"oh Peeta! Harder Peeta! Oh yessss! Peeeeeeetttttaaaaa! With how loud you were screaming, I thought he was killing you at first."

I can't look at her right now. I turn to Peeta, to find he is blushing too. I walk up to him and he pulls me into him. That's when we hear,"awwwww,"from Johanna.

"So how'd your mom take it?" Peeta asks.

"She's mad, but eventually she started to tell me about parenting."

"Well, that's good that she gave you advice."

"Yeah. She's come around."

"Where are you guys planning on living?"

"I know I don't want to live in 2." Gale says,"the only thing is that's where I have to report every week..."

"And the government can't know."I add.

"I would love to move back here."

"Yeah, I like it here."Johanna says.

"I like having you close."I say.

"Yeah me too."Peeta says.

A/N so all of you were right, she was pregnant. And a lot of you seemed happy about it so I'm glad! I hope you like this different side of Johanna and I would love some feed back. Big thanks to .books she is one of my besties that I love to death, she helped me brainstorm this chapter.


	29. Gale's Job

Katniss pov

A week later we are visited by Gale and Johanna again...

Peeta and I sit in our house sipping hot chocolate when Johanna walks in without warning.. She looks indifferent. Gale follows her in and they take a seat at the table.

"Um, hey guys...what's up?"Peeta says.

"Why are you in our house?"I say plainly.

"We have something to tell you."

"What is it?"

"I've been demoted."

"What?!"I say. This was not what I was expecting.

"What happened?"Peeta asks.

"The government found out about Johanna being pregnant. So now I have been deported from 2 back to 12 to be a representative from 12."

"Wow..."I say shocked.

"Yeah."

"On the bright side we'll be closer to you!"Johanna says. "15 feet to be exact. We're your new neighbours, brainless."

"What?"

"We live in the house between yours and Peeta's."

"Wow, so much shocking news today."I say.

"Like old times, Peeta. Remember when we had adjoining cells?"

"Yes. I remember."He says through gritted teeth.

"Oh lighten up. We won't be hearing each other's screams anymore. Well at least not screams of pain."She says winking at me.

"So, when do you move?"

"Today. They're shipping our stuff here."

"I'm sorry you got demoted."

"Maybe it's for the better?"

"Yeah, on the bright side you'll be closer to your family. I'm sure your mom will be happy about that."

"Yeah, she is."

"I get to raise my family here now..."He whispers. I smile and nod.

"There's something else,"he adds. He looks to see that Johanna and Peeta are both busy talking so he pulls me into the hall and says,"I'm going to propose to Johanna."

"That's wonderful, Gale!"I whisper.

"When?"

"Today. Tonight at dinner. I'm taking her out into the woods, she'll love the forest. It will remind her of home."

"That sounds sweet."I say.

"Thanks, catnip."He says smiling at me.

It's so good to see Gale happy. I never thought I would have my best friend again. I never thought that I would see the real him again, not the angry war crazed Gale I came to know in district 13. I never thought I would forgive him enough to even stand in the same room as him. I never thought he would come back or be there when I need his help. But here he is. The true Gale that I love like a brother. Not many people can understand the bond that we share. With all the years of risking our lives while trying to provide and protect our family, we will always understand each other. I may not love him like I do Peeta, but I can't forget the bond we share.

Peeta May be my loving husband who is my best friend, but I will always have Gale as a brother figure. And I'm happy with that.

Later I tell Peeta.

We sit looking at the fireplace and I say,"so Gale is proposing to Johanna tonight."

"Really?"

"Yeah, he's taking her to the forest because it will remind her of home. He's proposing tonight."

"That's great. I'm happy for them."

"Me too."

"Remember when I proposed to you?"

"How could I ever forget one of the happiest moments in my life?"

He chuckles and says,"I'm happy you feel that way, because it's one of mine too."

He leans forward and starts to plant light little kisses to my neck. I tangle my hands in his hair as his lips move across my hot flesh. He starts to crawl over me when the door opens.

Johanna runs in crying.

Peeta looks up from his position on top of me to see her.

"Johanna-"

"I need to talk to Katniss. Only Katniss."She says strictly.

Peeta crawls off of me and says,"where's Gale?"

"Probably at our house. I don't know. I don't care."

"I'll go talk to him,"he says unsure.

"Johanna, what happened?"

"He asked me to marry him."

"And then what?"

"I ran."

"Why?"

"It's just, I'm not sure if we're ready for that commitment. I don't know if he really loves me or if it's just because I'm having his baby?"

"Johanna, he practically has it plastered across his forehead. It's just like with Peeta and I, I didn't know that I loved him until it was almost too late. You don't know he loves you, but he does. He practically screams it. You guys are perfect for each other. You need a fire to keep up with you, it's just the kind of person you are. And he's that fire."

Her tears roll down her cheeks as she attempts to wipe them.

"When did you get so smart about love, brainless?"

"Since I fell in love with Peeta."

"That boy is doing you good, then."

"So are you going to answer him now?"

"I'm still not sure. I just don't think I'm completely ready right now..."

"That's understandable...but you don't really have much time. You're going to be a mother soon, Johanna."

"I know, I know,"she says wiping the rest of her tears.

"Johanna, go with what you think is right...What will make you happy. You deserve some happiness."

"Thanks, brainless. I'm happy you found happiness. How did you feel when Peeta proposed to you?"

"At first I was shocked. I never wanted to get married, but Peeta, I love him so much. I knew that I couldn't live without him and that marriage was the next step. I'll always love him. I can't live without waking up every morning to his smile and love. And I knew that I would have that forever, if I let him into my life."

"I can't believe you couldn't tell that you loved him..."She says.

"You know, before you were rescued, Finnick told me that at first he thought it was just an act to save me, but then the moment Peeta hit the force field and his heart stopped, he could tell I loved him."

"It's true, when I saw you and Peeta, there was no doubt in my mind that you loved him...love is weird."

"Yeah, it is."


	30. Peeta's day

I got some request to show more of the bakery.

Peeta pov

I wake up at my usual time. Katniss of course is still asleep. I look at the clock, it's 5 in the morning. The bakery opens at 6. I kiss her forehead and then go to get dressed. When I'm done getting dressed and eating I go back up to kiss her before I leave and she stirs.

"Peeta..."She says, her voice laced with sleep.

"Go back to sleep, I'm just going to work. I love you."

"I love you too."She says and lazily pulls me to her. I'm taken off guard by this and nearly crush her when I fall. I chuckle into her ear and kiss her cheek. She smiles and says,"I'll come by later."

"Okay, love you."

"Love you."She says yawning and turning over.

I make my way to the bakery. As soon as I step outside I notice how chilly it's getting. It's early January so the worst is happening. Though it should get warmer in February. When I arrive at the bakery, I pull out the keys and unlock the doors right as I hear someone say,"morning Peeta."

I turn to see Rory.

"Good morning, Rory."

"It's rather cold."He says.

"Yes, it might storm."I agree.

"How's school?"I ask.

"I graduate soon. Then, I don't know what I want to do."

"I hope you find something you love to do."I say.

"Thanks man."He says.

Right then, Vick, his older brother comes. "Morning, Vick."I say.

"Morning, Peeta."Then he turns to his brother,"you didn't wait for me!"

"You wouldn't wake up. It's not my fault you sleep like a rock and snore like a storm."

"You little Shi-"

"Boys,"I say warningly.

"Sorry Peeta,"they say in unison.

"It's alright, I remember my brothers always fought. Dad would always have to warn them, especially when they started to fight in front of a customer, that was when we would never hear the end of it from mom.."I say laughing at the memory.

I pull out something for us to eat and when we are done we start to bake. That's when my other employee, Tyler comes.

"Hey, I'm so sorry I'm late! I know this isn't an excuse but my wife was throwing up and-"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, Tyler, it's all cool. Don't worry about it."

"Thanks man."

"You said your wife was sick, is she okay?"

"Yeah, um, actually...I'm going to be a dad! She's pregnant!"he says excitedly.

"Congratulations!"

"Thanks. What about you and Katniss? Any kids in the future?"

"Nah, not yet." I say hiding the fact that I really want some kids. He's lucky that he's going to be a dad. He's young though. He's only 17.

"So, Sae is coming today to pick up the cake for her grandaughter's birthday. And Mrs. Samuelson is coming to pick her anniversary cake, is it done?"

"Yep!" Vick says proudly.

"Great! Vick, it's your turn to work the cash register, Rory, you are on decorating duty with me, and Tyler it's your turn to do the baking with me too."I explain.

"Okiedokey!"Rory says.

"K,"Vick says.

"Cool,"Tyler says.

I start the morning by cleaning off all the tables and counters. When that's finished I start baking. Soon our morning regulars come. We already have their usual done and set out on the counter. Then the four ladies who always come after church arrive. Mr. Smith comes before work along with his assistant Julie.

Sammy, a young gurl and her sister come every morning, and I always give them an extra cinnamon roll. That's when I go in the back and start to bake and decorate.

Around noon, Katniss comes. I'm decorating cakes when I feel arms wrap around me. I know none of the guys would do this because that would be weird, and automatically relax into her. She kisses me on the cheek and says,"how's work?"

"Pretty normal."I say. I notice the trace of dirt on her clothes and the light sweat on her, along with the smell of musk and pine.

"You went hunting?"I ask.

"Yeah, it was nice. I caught a few turkeys."

I kiss her rosy cheeks and say,"come warm up by the oven, you're freezing."

I take her over the the oven and wrap my arms around her to warm her up. A content sigh leaves her lips as I do so. I smile and ask,"are you hungry?"

"Yeah, it was really exhausting."

"Why don't you go upstairs and take a shower and a nap. I'll bring you some cheese buns."I tell her.

"Okay."

She gives me another kiss and then leaves the kitchen.

"You guys are so cute,"chuckles Rory.

"Do you have a girlfriend, Rory?"

"No, I did have someone but..."

"Did you guys break up?"I asked confused.

"No, it was Prim..."

We're all silent for a while. Finally I break the silence and say,"I'm sorry, man."

"S'okay, we all miss her."

"We all loved her."I add.

"I should get these to Katniss,"I say picking up a bag of cheese buns.

When I get upstairs, Katniss is still in the shower. I walk into the steamy bathroom and say,"I have a delivery for Mrs Mellark!"

I hear her laugh and through the glass of the shower door say,"hmm, I don't know if I want it, I don't know if he's 'big enough'."

"You know as well as I do that he's 'big enough'."I say.

She lets out a beautiful laugh and says,"come here."

I oblige and she opens the shower door and kisses me. She manages to get water all over me and I say,"it's a good thing I have extra work clothes here."

"Oh you do? Well in that case,"she pulls me in and I drop the food outside of the shower...

I come down to the kitchen to find Tyler and Rory laughing.

"What?"

"Have a nice shower, there?"Rory asks pointing to my wet hair.

Tyler adds,"you and I both know more than a shower happened." They both bust up laughing at their little jokes and I blush.

"Get to work."I say.

That causes them to laugh even harder.

The day goes by quickly, and finally it's time to close shop. After cleaning everything I finally turn off all the lights and lock the door. I look up at this place and think about how much I love this job.

But I don't reminense for long because I know I have a beautiful wife at home waiting.


	31. Big Surprises

Katniss pov

I wake up to Peeta getting in bed. He got back from work late today. I didn't spend very long with him today because I wasn't feeling well...

Earlier that day

The second time I wake up, Peeta is gone and its much later.

I look to see that it's 10. I've slept in. That's the fourth time this week! I quickly get dressed and eat. Then make my way out to the woods. On my way out I hear,"morning sweetheart, sleep in today?"

"Morning Haymitch."

"So, why so late this week? Is Peeta the reason?"

I blush instantly and say,"don't you have better things to do?"and walk away. I can her his laughter as it fades away the closer I get to the woods. I walk around for an hour and find nothing. I decide to go back.

On my way back I hear a light tread and look to see a few turkeys. Instantly I shoot a few. I feel a deep feeling of pride when this happens. I smile because it's been a while since I've had a good hunt.

I look at the turkeys and see that I still got it. Each one, shot in the eye.

I go to start plucking them but each time I pull a feather, I find myself feeling nauseous. So I pick them up and bring them to Greasy Sae. She smiles at me and reminds me about her granddaughter's birthday party.

"Are you okay, dear?"She asks.

"To tell you the truth, I'm not feeling all that well."

"Here have some soup, it will help."

"Thanks Sae."

Soon after that I go to the hob and pick up a few things. I drop them off and then head over to the bakery...

Peeta pulls me to him and whispers,"I love you."

I turn around and kiss him deeply.

"I love you too."

"Are you okay?"He asks. "When Sae came to pick up the cake she told me that you weren't feeling well. I wanted to come take care of you, but we were so busy, I couldn't leave them during a rush."

"It's okay, and yes I wasn't really feeling good but I'm better now."

"Okay."

He kisses me one last time and then I end up falling asleep on the couch in his office.

When I wake up, I'm home. Peeta is in the shower. I wake up feeling nauseous and light headed. As I run to the bathroom, I end up not feeling right and I barely notice Peeta as he runs calling out my name...

"Katniss,"I hear someone say my name but it sounds very muffled.

I hear it again and this time I realize it's Peeta.

"Katniss." This time it's clear as I get my vision. I look around the room and recognize this style. I'm in a hospital.

"Katniss! I was so worried!"He says squeezing my hand. I didn't even realize that he was holding my hand.

"Peeta,"my voice sounds scratchy and unlike my own.

"Shh, don't speak, I'll tell you what happened."

I nod and listen.

"I got out of the shower because I heard a thump. When I got into the room you were blacked out on the floor. I nearly ran here naked-I didn't-don't worry. But I was so worried. They think you are dehydrated, and there's something else..."

He looks down at his hands and almost looks disappointed and confused.

"Katniss,"he says slowly,"you're pregnant."

I gasp, how could this be possible?!

"But,"I whisper,"I was taking birth control-oh no!"

"What is it?"

"I forgot to take it last month..."I say quietly."I don't remember taking it..."

"Katniss, whatever you decide to do, I'm there for you."

"If you think I'm going to give it up, you're wrong. I could never give up a child, especially one of yours, that would be worse than any hunger games." I see a hint of a smile on his face, but he's still really sad looking.

"Peeta? What's wrong?"

"It's just, I know you don't want kids and I'm disappointed in myself. I'm sorry Katniss."

"Peeta, listen to me. I'm not mad. I'm scared but what person isn't? I don't blame you, you deserve a kid. I know you want them."

"I'm not gonna lie, I do." He say sadly.

"Well, you'll be a great dad..."I say quietly.

He looks up with a smile on his face.

"I told you, I'm not going to give it up."

"Katniss. I love you so much."

"I love you too, Peeta."

He leans forward to kiss me and then moves down to kiss my stomach. It makes me happy to see him so happy, yet I'm so terrified. A nurse comes in and says,"I see you've been told the good news, congratulations Mr and Mrs Mellark."

"Thank you,"Peeta says.

I don't say anything because I'm still not sure how I feel.

"It's time for your ultrasound. I'm going to put a cool gel on your stomach and use a wand like tool so we can see your baby and hear the heartbeat."She instructs.

I pull up my shirt and let her do as she said. I can see nervousness in Peeta's eyes. He squeezes my hand as she places the wand to my stomach. The screen lights up and at first we don't see anything until finally a small bean shaped thing shows up.

"That's your baby."the nurse says.

She presses a button and the room fills with the most beautiful sound in the world. I recognize the sound. It matches Peeta's heartbeat.

I look over to see tears in his eyes. I wipe the tear rolling down his cheek and give him a weak smile. He kisses my hand and I caress his face.

"You are about 6 weeks. Mr Mellark, will you come with me to schedule another appointment?"

"Of course."

I reach for my clothes and start to change as Peeta goes with the nurse. I look down at my still flat stomach and just can't imagine that it's holding life. I male my way out to Peeta and he tells me that next month I have an appointment.

As we walk home he says,"how are you feeling about little peanut?"

"Little peanut?"

"Yeah, it reminds me of a peanut."

I giggle at his nickname for it. "I'm surprised. I didn't think I would be pregnant..."

"Yeah, I guess I'm surprised too."He says.

"I have to tell my mom..."I say.

"Yeah, and we'll have to tell Haymitch."

"But that can all wait,"I say.

"Yeah."

A/N so I have been getting reviews asking for her to get pregnant soon, so finally I gave in.


	32. time to tell

Katniss pov About 2 months later

I wake up to Peeta snoring in my ear. Normally this doesn't really bother me but today it's like that's the worst thing he could possibly do! I roll away from him in a huff and jump out of bed. I look back to my snoring husband and consider getting my bow. Of course I would never actually hurt Peeta, but right now my thoughts aren't exactly nice.

Walking into the bathroom, I go and take a quick shower. When I'm done, I look to see that Peeta is still annoyingly snoring. I grab my hunting pants and go to pit them on. However I find them rather snug. When I go to button them, it doesn't budge. This frustrates me. My hunting pants have always been loose so that I can hunt easily and now they don't even fit?!

Tears start to form in my eyes as I push the pants down. I go into the bathroom and stand in front of the body length mirror. My eyes trace over my body. First to my breasts that look much bigger than they were before. Much fuller, and they barely fit in the bra that has fit me for years. Then I move down to my hips. I've never really had much of a figure because of my lack of food and nutrition. Over the years I've slowly filled in, but not by much. Now it's like I could easily fit anything on it.

Then I look down between my hips. There's a small but prominent bump. My fingers ghost over it to find that it's hard and round. I've been thinking about this baby since I found out about it, but now it seems even more real. And that terrifies me.

I let out a strangled gasp and my hand moves up to my mouth to choke back the tears. Many thoughts rush through my mind as I sink to the ground. I cry for what feels like forever until I feel Peeta's hands on me. He scoops me up and into his arms. I cry into his chest as he rocks me back and forth.

"What's wrong?"He asks when I've finally calmed down.

"Everything...everything bothers me, I can't fit into my clothes, my boobs hurt, I feel sick but I'm hungry, your snoring woke me up, I'm cold, and...I'm scared."

He lightly lets out a comforting chuckle deep in his stomach. "Katniss, I'm not gonna tell you to not be scared, because I know this is a scary thing. But it's also an exciting thing. As for my snoring, I'm sorry it bothered you so much,"hi chuckles,"we'll get you new clothes today and I'll make you something that hopefully won't upset your stomach. Here,"he says swaddling me in a blanket,"this should warm you up."

He goes downstairs and comes up when breakfast is ready. By then, I am in sweat pants and a shirt that used to be loose but is now tighter around my breasts and stomach.

"I made you some oatmeal."He says

I follow him downstairs and into the kitchen. The smell makes me realize how hungry I am. I sit down and scarf down my bowl of oatmeal.

"Whoa, whoa, slow down there! I don't want you to choke there!"

I glare at him but slow down. He smiles at me and says,"there's my Katniss."

"Can I have more?"

"Of course!"he jumps up and gets me more with a huge grin on his face. After I look up at him and say,"I think we should tell everyone, I mean I'm 3 months now. It's the recommended time."

"I've been dying to tell everyone, Katniss. Since the day we found out."

I smile at his excitement. He jumps up and says,"let me get dressed and then we can go!"

"I'm going to call my mom, okay?"

"Okay, I'll get dressed."

I walk over to the phone and pick it up with shaky hands. I dial her number and put the phone up to my ear. I listen to the ringing until it stops and my mom's voice answers.

"Katniss?"

"Hi mom."

"What's wrong dear?"

"Nothings really wrong-"

"Katniss, you're rambling."

"Well, it's just-well uh-"

"Katniss, what is it you called me about?"

"I'm pregnant."

"You're pregnant?!"

"Yes."

"That's wonderful! How far along are you?"

"Almost 4 months."

"What's wrong, honey?"

I sigh and say,"I'm scared."

"Was this planned?"

"No...it was an accident. I had forgotten to take my pill one month, it slipped my mind and then we- and now-"

"I know it's scary, but Katniss, you have that maternal instinct inside you." She starts to get a bit choked up as she says,"you've always been a mom to Prim. You'll be a great mom."

"Thank you."I say quietly.

"If you ever have questions, I'm here."

"Thank you."

"Well, I must be going but I promise to come and visit before and after the baby is born."

"Okay, bye mom."

"Love you, Katniss."

"Love you too,mom."

I hang up the phone right as Peeta comes down.

"Ready?"

"Yeah." I say with a nod.

"So who first?"

"Well, I guess haymitch is only next door so, him first?"

"Okay." He takes my hand and leads me out the door.

As soon as we step in his house I nearly throw up. Haymitch walks in and says,"what's your problem?"

"This-smell-"I say before running into his bathroom to throw up. "Jesus, sweetheart!"

Peeta is there patting my back and holding my hair back. I stand up and wash out my mouth. "Lets go outside. Away from the house."

We all go to the porch. Haymitch sits on his chair and he starts to chuckle,"I see Peeta has definitely been doing his job."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean you put a bun in the oven, bakers boy."

We stare at him incredulously.

"How did you-"

"Oh please, you threw up inside my house, and look at you! Either you suddenly got fat or that's a baby bump."

"Well, congratulations,"he adds.

"Thank you, Haymitch."

"But if you want to be in this baby's life, you need to sober up."

"Well-"

"You have 6 months haymitch!"

"Fine,"He grumbles.

"Thank you."

Soon after that we make our way to Johanna and Gale's house. "Katniss! Peeta! What a surprise!"

"Well, you love to surprise us, why not surprise you?"

She laughs and says,"come in."

We walk in and she sits down,"so what's up?" Gale asks.

"I see Peeta has been stuffing you up with goodies,"she says pointing to my stomach.

"Actually, that's what we came to talk to you about."

"What about you getting fat?"

"Johanna, Gale, I'm pregnant."I say.

"Holy Shit!"Johanna says,"That's amazing!"

"Wow, congratulations."

"Wow, bread boy, you finally put a bun in the oven."

Peeta rolls his eyes saying,"like I haven't heard that one before."

Johanna and I sit there talking about babies and she even compares her 9 month pregnant belly to my 4 month pregnant belly. Plus she's having twins so she's huge!

"So, what changed your mind?"She asks me while Peeta and Gale talk.

"Nothing changed my mind-"

"It was an accident, huh?"

"Yeah, it was an accident..."

"Welcome to the club, but you know Katniss, if Peeta waited until they were ready to have a baby, they never would have one. Honestly, you'll never be truly ready for a baby. Keep that in mind, okay?"

"Okay."

"Congratu-ahhhhhhhhhhhh!"she doubles over in pain and we all quickly turn to her. "I'm-in-Labour!"

"Oh Shit!"Gale says behind me.

A/N now I know I said I wouldn't update on Christmas, but I started this last night and I wanted to get it to you before but I didn't finish it so I thought I would get out to you this morning. MERRT CHRISTMAS!


	33. new baby boys

Katniss Pov

"Im in labour!"

"Oh shit!"Gale says.

I'm not sure what to do so I settle for calling my mom.

"Hey, mom, I was wondering if you could make your way to 12? Johanna is in labour and our doctors here aren't as good as you..."

"Luckily today is my day off, it might take an hour-"

"Please!"

"Okay, considering its her first, they usually aren't very fast. I will try to be there soon."

Gale is freaking out and it takes Peeta and I to snap him back. Gale picks up Johanna and brings her upstairs. Peeta and I follow them to a room that has bed sheet already laid out. An hour later Johanna lets out a groan right as a liquid rushes out from between her legs and gushes onto the floor. Gale helps her to the bathroom as Peeta and i try to clean up whatever gross birth liquid this is. I hear the door squeak as someone, i'm assuming is my mom, walks in.

"Johanna? Gale? Peeta? Katniss?"My mom yells from downstairs. I quickly run to the ledge where below my mom stands. "Up here!" I say placing my hands on the banister.

She looks up and thanks me as she brings her equipment up here. She gives me a tight hug and says,"I've missed you,"then places a hand on my small stomach and says,"i can't believe you're having a baby! Speaking of babies, where is Johanna?"

"Gale is cleaning her up in the bathroom. I think her water broke."

"Oh lord, this is going to be a fast one." She says more to herself. Soon Gale comes out with Johanna, stripped from the waist down, and lays her on the bed. "Okay, Johanna,"she says in the most soothing voice she can muster,"you need to lay back and try to relax."

She nods her head and then turns pale,"I feel nauseous, I'm going to throw up."

"Katniss,"my mom barks,"grab the waste basket!"

I do as she says and hand it to Johanna to throw up in. I quickly start to feel sick and rush to the toilet to throw up as well. I lay there on the floor for a while and try to regain my composure.

"Are you okay?" Peeta asks, his hand gliding up and down my back comfortingly. "I'm okay, just morning sicknesses and seeing Johanna puke, it doesn't mix too well."

"If you want, I can do anything your mom needs while you rest?"

I consider it for a moment and then nod. He says,"I'll get you when it's almost time. Why don't you lay down on the couch in the living room?"

As I lay down my hand goes to my unsettling stomach. "Hi little baby,"I say trying it out,"I wish you didn't make me so sick... I really want to be there for Johanna but you're making me so tired and nauseous."

I start to feel my eyelids feel heavier so finally I give up and let sleep take me over...

Peeta pov

When I get back in the room, Johanna asks,"where's Katniss?"

"She got sick seeing you get sick. I told her to lay down."

"Why'd she get-oh, poor thing is dealing with morning sickness."

"Yeah, wait you seem-well not in pain-"

"I got the good stuff here."

"What, they got you hooked up on drugs?"

"Exactly!"she says,"I can't feel half my body."

"Um..."I look to Mrs. Everdean and she laughs,"that's normal Peeta. You weren't here when I explained about it."

I nod and take a seat by Gale. I clap him on the back and say,"how ya doing there, Gale?"

"I'm not sure I'm ready...you know to become a father. What about you? Are you even ready?"

"I'm not sure if anyone is ever ready, but I'm ready as can be...and you have nothing to worry about. You'll be a great father, Gale."

"Thanks, Peeta...You seem like the guy whose always wanted kids."

"Yeah, that's true, I have always loved kids. I never thought I would get any though-"

"Katniss, used to say she never was having kids."

"Yeah, I figured one way or another she would realize that she has nothing to be afraid of...I didn't really get a chance to talk to her about it...I guess both of us were surprised, huh?"

"Yeah, I know Johanna and I were really surprised at first too. We didn't know what to do...Then we talked about it and we weren't as scared. Try talking to her. If anyone will make her feel better about it, it's you."

"Thanks, Gale. And trust me, you'll be a great father. You're cut out for it."

"Thanks, Peeta." We stand up and give each other a 'bro hug' as Katniss calls it. Johanna interrupts saying,"don't mean to interrupt your bromance but I'm kinda having a baby over here! And I am fucking thirsty!"

"On it!"Gale says.

"Peeta, go get Katniss for me I wanna talk to her, just us girls."

I find my way to the looking out ledge. She lays peacefully on the couch, in view from where I stand. He hand placed carefully on her small stomach. With a smile plastered on my face, I run down to wake her up.

"Is it time already? How long have I been asleep?" She shoots up.

"No, you haven't been asleep that long. Johanna wants to talk to you."

She follows me up to the room and as soon as Johanna sees her, her face lights up. "Katniss! Come here, Katniss. Peeta, Gale, get out!"

"But-" Gale starts.

"Out!"

Katniss pov

"How are you feeling Johanna?"I ask.

"As good as Labour feels, they have me on a drug that has numbed me from the waist down. Now, sit."She pats the spot next to her and I do so. My mom busies herself in the corner.

"We gotta talk."

"About?"

"The weather, what do you think I want to talk about!"

My hand moves to my stomach and she nods,"exactly."

"What do you want to know?"

"Tell me everything!"

"Where do I start?"

"From the beginning, how'd it happen?"

"I think we both know how it happened, Johanna,"I dead pan.

"We obviously-but I mean how?"

"I forgot to take my birth control one month and then Peeta and I, well, you know..."

"Was it good?"

"Johanna!"I say blushing then quieter than before I say,"my mom is in the room!"

"Oh c'mon! Just tell me, yes or no?"

"Yes,"I mumble,"of course it was good."

"I knew it!"

"Anyway, I wasn't thinking and I forgot that I haven't taken the birth control that month yet. So then I passed out the other day and was taken to the hospital. They figured out I was pregnant."

"Oh, so how do you feel?"

"Unprepared. Scared. Terrified actually. I'm not cut out to be a mom."

"Katniss, you don't give yourself enough credit,"my mom says,"what about Prim. You were like a mom to her."

"Prim's dead." I say with tears stinging my eyes.

"You kept her alive longer than I could have."

My eyes are burning now. Emotion overwhelming me. My mom comes to hug me and then says she has to see how dialated Johanna is.

"Remember what I told you earlier Katniss?"

I nod and wipe my tears. "You'll be a great mother, Katniss. You have it in you, and Peeta, he'll be there by your side the whole way."

"Speaking of motherhood, Johanna, are you ready? Because you're fully dialated. Katniss, get the boys."

"Gale! Peeta! It's time!"I yell from the door. They run up and Gale takes his place next to Johanna holding her hand. My mom has me sit behind her and support her back while Peeta takes her other hand.

"Why am I the one supporting her back, Peeta is stronger, wouldn't he be a better support?"

"You don't want to be in his position honey, he'll be in a lot of pain when she grips his fingers mid push-trust me."

Peeta and Gale both go pale. I laugh a little and then my mom says,"okay Johanna on three, you push."

"One, two, three..."

Hours pass until Aspen Joseph Hawthorne is born. Joseph was the name of Gale's dad, in honour of him. He died in the same mine explosion that killed my dad. And Aspen was the name of Johanna's dad who was killed by Snow.

He is 19' long and 71/2 pounds.

A few minutes later Aaron Vick Hawthorne is born. He is 18' long and 7 pounds even. Aaron was the name of her brother who was also killed by Snow. And Vick is Gale's brother.

"Wanna hold him, Katniss?" Johanna asks when she is done feeding Aspen. "I don't kn-"

"Come here,"she says. My mom shows me how to hold him, showing me how to support his head and cradle him. Then she places him in my arms. He is so small. And so adorable. His tiny hand reaches out and lands on my cheek. Then it goes to wrap around my finger. My breath catches in my throat as I hold this little miracle.

I look to Peeta, who is smiling at me proudly. "Look, you're amazing with kids."

"Johanna, Gale, he is the cutest thing I've ever seen."

"Thank you,"they say in unison.

I hand him to Peeta to hold and I swear he's a natural. Aspen cuddles into him and grips his finger. Peeta let's out a beautiful sounding laugh and I can't help but laugh too. I haven't seen him so giddy in a while.

Peeta then returns him to his father. Right as Johanna is done feeding Aaron, she hands him to me. He's still awake so lightly bounce him. Both boys have dark hair and by the looks of Aaron's eyes, he has seam eyes. I do the same thing and hand him to Peeta and after he's held him for a while he hands him to Peeta, wraps his arm around my shoulder and I lean into him as we smile at our friends welcome parenthood.


	34. new years resolution

Happy New year's!

It's been a wonderful year of writing and its all thanks to you! Everyone who takes the time to read my stories, this is to you- you're the reason that I want to write. I love writing and I love reading, but the thing that gives me the biggest smile is seeing that someone has followed or reviewed my story because that means that I have touched someone's life with my writing. It means that I've entertained someone and that makes me happy, so my new years resolution is I WILL CONTINUE TO UPDATE AND WRITE MY STORIES, I WILL BRING AT LEAST THREE NEW STORIES TO FANFICTION, AND FINALLY I NEED YOUR HELP WITH THIS-GET 200 REVIEWS ON THIS STORY.

HAPPY NEW YEARS!


	35. dinner

I'd like to give a shout out to catnip851 they have been so supportive of all my stories. So thank you for being so amazing. Also big thanks to my friends b. Loves .books (minus the spaces) and beauty and brutality (with the spaces) love you both.

Katniss pov

Peeta and I come back with bags full of clothes. He insisted on getting me more than I really need. I would have been fine with buying bigger clothes but Peeta wanted me to get some maternity clothes too.

As I stand in the closet putting the clothes away, Peeta sits on the bed watching me. I glance over to him and meet his eyes. He doesn't look away, just smiles at me like I'm the most beautiful girl in the world. I don't get it.

"You're showing,"he says with a huge proud grin.

I freeze thinking of the position I'm in. My arms are raised up as I place shirts in a cuby above. My shirt is raised up as I reach and my small bump is exposed. Peeta gets up from his spot to come stand in front of me. He drops to his knees ans puts his hands on each side of the bump.

"Wow...this makes me so happy. You're beautiful, you're glowing. Look at you..."

He places a kiss to my stomach and says,"hi little baby. I'm your daddy."

I place a hand on his head and run my fingers through his hair. He beams up at me. I can't help but smile at him. He starts o place kisses all over my stomach. "When is our next appointment?"

"In two days."

"I can't wait to see you,"he says to my stomach.

Tears sting my eyes, though I'm not sure why?

"Katniss?"He asks with worry in his eyes and voice. "Is it something I said? What's wrong?"

"No, it's nothing you said, I just, I'm just, Peeta-"it's all I can get out before I turn into a puddle of tears. He stands up and wraps his arms around me. "Shhhh, it's okay. Shhhh," he soothes.

I lean into kiss him deeply when I pull away I say,"I'm sorry for turning into a puddle of tears on you."

"It's okay, I'm here to deal with all the emotions."

"Thank you."

He scoops me up and I laugh. "Are you hungry?"He asks.

"Starving."

"How about I make you cheese buns?"

"Yes please."

"So tonight Gale and Johanna wanted us to come to dinner at their place."

"Okay."

"I'll call them."

When he is off the phone he turns to me and says,"okay, so around six." He confirms.

"Okay."

Finally around six we walk over to their house. Gale, along with Aaron answer the door. The baby squirms in his arms. It's only been a couple of weeks, yet he's grown so big. Aaron has Gale's seam grey eyes and Aspen has Johanna's eyes, other than that they look the same. They both have Gale's nose and Johanna's ears and lips.

I wonder what our child will look like. Wether they'll have Peeta's beautiful blue eyes or my seam grey eyes? His blond curls or my wavy dark hair? Will they look more like me or him? I hope him.

We enter the house and Johanna comes around the corner while feeding Aspen. The first thing she says is,"damn Katniss, your boobs got huge!" I instantly blush and cross my arms over my huge boobs.

"Gee, thanks,"I dead pan.

She just laughs and says,"I bet Peeta is happy with them, brainless!" Then winks. Peeta turns bright crimson at the mention of him liking my bigger boobs. I know he does, bit he's too polite to ever say anything.

"Come on, lets go to the dinning room!"

She leads us down the hall to the nice dinning room. Peeta and I take our seats and Johanna hands me Aspen,"hold him real quick?"She says before quickly taking off to the kitchen.

He starts to whimper, which causes me to panic. I don't know how to calm a baby down! I barely ever held them and if they started crying I'd give them back to there mom.

"Uh-Johanna-what do I do?!"

"Just bounce him a bit and say calming things, use your instincts I know you've got them." She calls from the kitchen. I start to lightly bounce him and say,"shhh, it's okay Aspen, calm down." He still cries.

"Calm down, they can smell fear!"she says.

I look to Peeta in panic. He gives me a reassuring look and says,"I know you can do it."

After it gets to a certain point, I start to sing. Instantly he calms down and sucks on his thumb. I let out a sigh of relief and just bounce him. Peeta gives me a bright smile.

"I knew you could do it. You're going to be a great mom."

"He's right, brainless."

Peeta kisses my cheek and I smile brightly at him. This moment actually gives hope to the future. I might actually be able to be a mom. As long as I have Peeta by my side. If anything were to happen to him, I just don't think I could do it. I finally understand my mom.

Johanna brings out dinner and half way through has to stop to feed the twins again. After dinner we stay for a long time and talk about how their lives have changed so far and about the kids and my pregnancy.

I know that I'll always have Peeta, Johanna, and Gale there for support and help. That makes me feel extremely safe and better. Finally, I'm almost dozing off, so Peeta says,"it's time we should go. I don't think Katniss can keep her eyes open another moment."

Johanna smiles and says,"I remember that feeling. Hell, I still have that feeling! This two wake up every 2 hours!"

I don't really remember the walk back home, but next thing I know, I'm home in my bed with Peeta by my side holding me.

A/N sorry it's been forever since I've updated, I've had a busy week.


	36. morning rush

Katniss pov

Today I go to visit Peeta at the bakery. He's baking up a storm when I walk into the kitchen. Rory isn't at the counter when I walk in. Instead his other employee, Tyler, is. I walk up behind him and wrap my arms around him, kissing his sweaty neck.

He turns his head to look at me and kisses my forehead. His head is all sweaty from working so hard and being by the ovens. I take a rag and wipe his face, then kiss his lips.

"What brings you here?"He asks.

"I came to see you. Are you too busy for me?"

"I'm never to busy for you, however I am quite busy. Rory and Vick caught the stomach flu, so Tyler is working the front. That leaves me alone in the back."

"Anything I can help with?"

"No, it's okay, I don't want you to lift a finger."

"But you work so hard, and my name is on this too. Why don't I work the front and send Tyler back here with you?"

"Are you sure-"

"Peeta, you really need the help, please let me help."

"Okay,"he sighs.

I walk to the front to see a small line. "Tyler,"I say,"Peeta really needs your help in the back, I can take care of the front."

"You sure, Kat? Are you sure you should be working while you're preggers? I know I asked my wife to stop."

"I'm guessing Peeta bragged about it?"

"Yep."

"I'm not even that far, I'll be fine."

"Okay,"he says raising his arms in defeat.

We both let out a little giggle and I take a spot in front of the register.

"Welcome to Mellark Bakery, how May I help you this morning?"I ask the customer.

"Good morning, Mrs Mellark!" A woman with a thick Dutch accent says. She's one of the few people who were alive before the games. I've talked to her only a few times before and she's told me of her stories. She lived in a place called Amsterdam, but moved to the U.S.

"Good morning, Mrs. Visser."

"Please, call me Cartia."

"Okay, Cartia. What can I get you?"

"What do you recommend?"

"Lets see, today I would recommend a cheesecake."

"Cheesecake, in the morning?"

"Sorry, I'm not the most reliable right now, my cravings have been crazy!"

"Ahhhhhhh, you are pregnant aren't you my dear?"

"Yes,"I say placing a hand over my very small bump, hidden by my jacket.

"Why what wonderful news, congratulations!"

"Thank you, Cartia."

"The baker's finally got a bun in the oven!"she says happily. I just smile at her. Peeta comes out with the next batch of baked goods. He starts to fill the glass containers with the food.

"Ah, Peeta!" Cartia says.

"Mrs. Visser, it's great to see you!"

"What a fine morning, and congratulations on the newest edition to the Mellark family."

"Thank you! Can I offer you a fresh out of the oven bun?"

"Of course, add that to the cheesecake and I'll be on my way."

"Right away,"Peeta says with a smile.

He soon comes out with her order. She pays me and then is on her way with her order. Peeta pulls out a cheesecake and hands it to me. "I'm guessing you recommended this to her?"

I nod with a guilty smile. He kisses my cheek and places a hand on my stomach. "You and your cravings."He laughs. I lean into kiss him on the lips and I hear everyone burst into applause and cheers. I blush and look down smiling.

Peeta kisses my cheek once more and then heads into the back. Another person comes up to the counter. She's very naturally pretty, and very pregnant. "Hi, I don't believe we have ever met, but I'm Tyler's wife, Melonie."

"Oh! Hello, I'm Katniss Mellark, Peeta's wife."

"It's nice to meet you. Is Tyler in the back? Do you mind getting him for me?"

"Oh, of course I don't mind. You can go back there if you'd like."

"Okay,"she says. I lead her to the back and show her where Tyler is. Peeta looks happy but surprised to see her. "Melonie! It's wonderful to see you! You look beautiful and I see you've met my wife, Katniss."

"Yes,"she says with a smile. "She is lovely, Peeta."

I blush and Peeta says,"thank you, I love her so much."

"Is it okay if I steal Tyler for a moment? I have some news."

"Oh, go ahead. If you want there's a hallway over there, it's very secluded."

"Thank you."

They leave out the door and soon we hear Tyler cheer out in happiness.

He runs in saying,"it's a boy!"

"Congratulations, man!" Peeta says.

"Thanks."

"You should have told me you were going to find out. I would have gave you the day off."

"But Rory and Vick were gone, I couldn't leave you alone."

"Tyler, this is a very important moment, it would have been fine."

"I should have told you."

"It's okay, I just wish you had that wonderful moment."

"It's okay, as long as I know."

"Yeah, as long as you know."

"When do you find out?"He asks.

"A few weeks."

"You're pregnant?"Melonie asks.

"Yeah,"I say placing a hand on my stomach with a smile.

"Congratulations!"

"Thank you,"we say in unison.

"How far along are you?"She asks.

"About four and a half months. What about you?"

"Six."

Peeta wraps his arms around me and kisses my cheek. Then says,"can I offer you anything?"He asks.

"Um, I'll take a cupcake, how much?"

"It's on me. A congratulations. Actually, have a few cupcakes, how about a dozen?"

"Peeta-"

"Nope. No arguments!"

He hands her a dozen of cupcakes many different flavours. She smiles and thanks him. Then I make my way back to the front to finish my cheesecake and get back to work.


	37. two steps forward, one step back

Katniss pov

I wake up having to rush to the bathroom because I feel like I'm about explode! Relief floods through as I relieve myself. The baby has been pushing on my bladder lately. Peeta usually laughs at me as I rush to the bathroom. Just another pregnancy experience.

I've been experiencing a lot lately. Like cravings and moods. Poor Peeta, he has to deal with me for 9 months. Knowing me, it won't be easy. I'm not the easiest person to live with as it is, now not only am I Katniss, the stubborn, independent, angry, girl. But now I'm Katniss, the crazy, hormonal, hungry, pregnant, wife. This won't be well. They've been affecting me more and more lately.

It started when I was caught eating a pickle covered in chocolate frosting. Peeta had gone out to get some ingredients, and when he came back, I was sitting on the counter with a bag of chocolate frosting and a jar of pickles. One was in my hand. Peeta won't let me live down my crazy cravings.

Not only that, but last week I started crying because I got rabbit blood on my hunting shirt, which isn't something new for me. I accidentally scared Peeta because when he came in I was blocking the rabbit. He could only see me and the blood on my hands and not the rabbit. He thought I had seriously hurt myself. I sat there crying and wouldn't tell him what was wrong, until I finally calmed down enough to speak.

I walk back to the bed, my limbs feeling like weights. I have been tired also. Which makes me cranky, which sets off my moods. I fall onto the bed with a huff. Peeta rolls over and wraps his arms around me. I sigh into him and he sleepily says,"did you get sick again?"

"No, but this baby of yours likes to push on my bladder."

He chuckles and kisses my cheek.

I roll over to only find myself face to face with Peeta. His locks fall into his eyes a little. He tries to blow them out of his face but it doesn't work. I run my fingers through his locks, pulling them out of his face.

"Will you please cut my hair?"He asks.

"But they're so beautiful. And u love to do this!"I say running my fingers through his hair. He smiles and says,"you don't have to cut it short. Just short enough to not fall in my eyes."

I huff, causing him to chuckle.

"Please?!"

"Fine. Just this time Mellark. But just because I don't want some other chick to touch your hair."

"When did you get so sassy and feisty!"he jokes.

"You make me this way."

"Why I'd never!"

"Really? Because I believe you were the one to shot your load into my womb."

"Point taken."

He sits up and asks,"what would you like for breakfast?"

"Hmmmm, the baby feels like chocolate chip pancakes."

"In a chocolate mood again, I see."

"Yup."

"Want pickles on the side?"He jokes.

"No!"I say smacking his arm, but laughing. He smiles at me and wraps his arms around me tightly, kissing my cheek. "I love you and all your crazy cravings." I lean into him and lay my head on his shoulder. He kisses my exposed neck and then lifts me up, twirling me in the process.

I squeal causing him to laugh harder and drop me on my feet. My hands fly to the counter as I fall, laughing even harder seeing Peeta fall on his butt. He sits there laughing until he looks at his hands, saying nothing.

There's a giant gash in his hand, blood starting to cover it. I gasp and ask,"are you okay?"

He says something to low for me to hear.

"What?"

"YOU DID THIS!"

My eyes widen when I see the crazed black eyes bore into mine. I instantly start to run out of the kitchen. He follows me, trapping me in the living room. "Peeta,"I say as calmly as possible. My voice wavers at the end. He hasn't had a flashback in so long.

"You're a mutt."He says.

"Peeta, please hear me out."

"Look what you did-"

"Peeta, this isn't you. I'm not a mutt, I'm your wife. Remember? I love you and would never hurt you."

"Then explain how this happened, Mutt!"

"Peeta, you were laughing with me and spinning with me. You slipped and your hand cut on the counter."

"You're a mutt!"he says raising his hand to slap me. I flinch, looking away. But he doesn't hit me. He hits himself. I've seen him have a fight with himself, but it's never been a physical fight. Always mental.

He drops to the floor and attempts to grab onto something. He hits himself and I see blood on his hands and his lip and nose are bleeding. "Stop! Stop!"

He looks up at me, still looking crazed but calmer than before. Then something changes and he continues to attack himself. I can't get close enough to stop him without risking the baby getting punched. All I can do is scream and cry.

"Peeta, Please!"

Finally, he has beaten himself to a pulp and just lays there curled up in a ball, his hands around his face. He hasn't had such a bad flashback in forever. All because of blood. He is so sensitive to it.

I slowly crawl over to him and place my hand on his back. He flinches.

"Peeta..."

He lets out a very painful groan.

"You're name is Peeta Rye Mellark, you're 20 years old, you're a Victor, the capitol hijacked your mind, you own the bakery, I'm your wife, were having a baby-"

"Katniss..."He sighs before releasing his head and laying flat on his back. I'm completely in tears now and I place my hands on each side of his face. "Peeta, I love you."

A tear slips from his eye and rolls down his cheek. I sniff and ask,"so you want to get up?"

"Yeah."

I help him stand up and realize the intensity of his bruises. I gasp as he groans in pain. "Oh God,"I sigh. I bring him to the bathroom and have him sit on the toilet. He's bleeding so much.

I move to start stripping him of his bloody clothes the reveal his bruises. I start to wrap up the bad cuts and the stand up next to his head, lightly pulling him to me so that I can hold him closely.

"I'm sorry Katniss,"he groans.

"Shhhh, it's okay. You didn't hurt me or the baby. Only yourself. Now please, get into the tub and just relax."

He slowly sinks down into the tub that I have filled with water, wincing. I'm afraid that he's done something to his hand. "Relax,"I tell him.

"I'm so sorry for freaking out on you."

"Shhh, just relax and let me clean you up."

He closes his eyes, leaning his head back against the wall. I get the loafa and lather it in soap. Then I reach for his arm. Carefully scrubbing away any blood on it. Then I move to his other arm, then chest.

His chest has the most bruises and blood, from where his nails dug into his flesh. I kiss his jaw. Then I go and wash his legs. When I'm done, I squirt some shampoo on my hands and have him move so his back is towards me. My hands run through his locks, soaping them up.

I lean his head back and kiss his cheek as he mutters that he's sorry. I kiss his lips and then rinse his hair. I help him out of the tub and into a towel. He sits on the toilet as I patch up his cuts and scrapes. Then I grab a pair of his boxers and sleep pants and help him into them.

I help him to bed. Deciding to let him sleep off the pain. Before I go downstairs to attempt to cook, he stops me and asks,"what happened?"

"You freaked out when you slipped and cut your hand. Then you beat yourself up."

"Are you okay? What about the baby?"He says sleepily.

"We're okay."

"Katniss-"

"Shhh, just sleep. I'm going to attempt to make pancakes, okay?"

He nods and says,"there's a recipe in the box. Follow it exactly..."

"I will. You need to relax."

He nods and drifts off to sleep. I sigh, I can't believe he had such a bad flashback. I hope he doesn't have another. It hate to see him so far gone.


	38. babysitting

Katniss pov

I wake up to Peeta singing terribly off tune in the shower. When I walk into the bathroom, Peeta is slightly dancing but trying to avoid falling on his unstable leg. I lightly giggle but not loud enough for him to hear me. He still hasn't noticed me. He has his arms go up and down as he turns in a circle singing some song.

"I'm Peeta and I know it!"

I can't hold it in any longer and bust up laughing. He freezes and his eyes go wide and he blushes. I smile at him and instantly climb in. I don't know what comes over me but soon I'm under the water kissing Peeta. But he stops me and says,"we have a busy day today."

"What?"

"We're watching Aspen and Aaron today for Johanna and Gale while that take care of Hazelle, Rory, and Vick."

"Ughh, that's right. They all got sick."

"Yup. So finish up showering and I'm going to go get dressed."

He steps out of the shower, leaving me. When I finish, he makes me breakfast and then we head out to Johanna and Gale's place.

"Brainless!"she says happily and hugs me.

"We gotta go Jo. So I left a list of things on the counter and the supplies are either on the counter or in their room which is the second door to the left upstairs. They haven't had a nap yet. If ya need anything call us."

"Don't worry Gale. You act like you don't trust me."

"I trust him. He knows how to take care of kids."

"Hey!"

"Oh please, Catnip. We all know how you get when it starts to cry."

"But-"

"Thanks again, guys." Then they're gone.

Peeta let's out a light chuckle but I'm not laughing. What does he mean 'we all know how you get when it starts to cry'?

"Oh don't get all mad at what Gale said,"he says laughing.

Right as he turns around, one of the boys, Aspen I believe crawls into his leg. Peeta bends down to pick him up and the other one crawls around the corner. I pick up Aaron and he starts to suck his thumb.

Aspen wiggles around in Peeta's arms so Peeta sets him back down on the floor and follows the baby around the corner to where they were playing. I also follow with Aaron in my arms. Inuit when I set him down with his brother, he starts to cry and reach up to me.

With a worried look on my face, I bend down to pick him back up and his whimpers fade away.

"He looks tired, why don't you rock him to sleep and I'll watch Aspen,"Peeta says.

I nod and do so. When Aaron is finally asleep, I place him on the couch with a blanket blocking him from falling off the couch like my mother used to do with Prim. She would also place a pillow or two on the floor so that if she did roll off, IIt would be onto a pillow instead of the hard wood floors.

Peeta is playing with Aspen when I turn back around. I watch as he picks up the ball and hands it to Peeta. He really looks like Gale. Aspen and Aaron both look practically the same, but Aaron has a touch more of Johanna in his face then Aspen.

I sit down next to Peeta and pick up a toy. It instantly sings and a light flashes, which catches me off guard. Peeta laughs at my startled face. I push his arm playfully and he says,"hey! I'm not the one singing and flashing!"

"Well this morning you were singing, and definitely flashing me."

He turns beat red but smiles.

I notice Aspen yawning and decide that it's time for his nap. I pick up Aspen and place him on the other end of the couch, just like Aaron. I decide to look at the list on the counter. In Gale's scribble it says,

_They'll need a nap and a bath_

_Bath supplies are next to the sink, just lay a towel down in the sink and fill it with water_

_Bottles are in the dish drainer, follow instructions on the formula bottle also there is baby food in the fridge_

_They might be cranky because they're teething_

_Just put whiskey on your finger and rub on their gums, don't worry this is perfectly safe_

I set the list back down and look over at Peeta, who is smiling as he looks at the boys. I look down at my stomach that is steadily growing. I place a hand on it and think about what it will be like when this one is born.

About an hour later, the boys wake up. They both need a diaper change and are hungry, so they are screaming their heads off! Peeta picks up one and I reluctantly get the other. I'm not exactly sure how to comfort him so I just follow Peeta. First he changes him. Then he places him in a high chair.

I do the same and Peeta pulls out the baby food. We simultaneously feed them, although I'm not sure how much they actually got in their mouth. This changes their mood immensely. They stop crying and eat.

When they are finished, I help Peeta get them into a bath. As we give them a bath (most of the water ended up either on the counter or me) I realize that kids aren't that bad. I'm not as afraid as I was before.

I still have that fear, but it's not as prominent.

When Gale and Johanna finally get back, it's around 9. Both boys are asleep and I know Peeta is pretty tired from chasing them all day.

"So how were they brainless?"

"They were fine, we didn't have problems."

"Haha! Those turds are never fine with me!" She laughs.

"They're nothing but trouble...like their mom,"Gale says.

"You like trouble,"Johanna counters.

"Yes I do."

Peeta and I say or farewells and go home. I never knew taking care of kids is so exhausting!

I automatically fall asleep on the couch to the sounds of Peeta cooking.

A/N I won't be able to update as often because swim season has started and it is exhausting! So after practice I usually fall asleep. Sorry, I'll try.


	39. the gender

Katniss pov

Today Peeta and I find out the gender of our baby. We walk hand in hand to the hospital. I can't help but notice all the people staring at us. I know Peeta sees them too because he tenses. I look at him and say,"so many people are staring at us."

"You're really starting to show now that you're half way through your second trimester...and..."

"And what?"

"Last night, after you fell asleep, there was an announcement about your pregnancy. I called Plutarch but he said there was nothing he could do. The media already announced it."

"What?! Why didn't you wake me up! Why didn't you tell me right away!"I know I shouldn't be mad at Peeta. It's not his fault they found out. But my horemones are raging right now and I can't control it.

"I'm sorry,Katniss,"he says. I unclasp our hands and fold my arms.

"Katniss-"Peeta starts but I just keep walking. I hear him sigh and give up on trying to calm me down. When we get there, Peeta signs us in and we take a seat. Peeta places a hand on my leg and says,"Katniss, please stop being mad at me. I told you I'm sorry for not telling you, and I wish I could do something to make it up to you. I wish I could've stopped them from airing that."

I sigh,"I know it's not your fault...I should be mad at the people who aired it. Not you."

He takes my hand and after a minute I let my hand relax in his. I notice him smiling as he leans over to kiss my cheek. A blonde nurse walks out from behind the door and says,"Katniss Mellark." I also notice that all the other pregnant ladies here instantly turn to stare at me. Peeta takes my hand and we walk hand in hand to the room.

"The doctor will be in shortly."the nurse says.

I notice Peeta staring at my stomach. When his eyes meet mine he asks,"is it okay if I touch your stomach?"

"Of course you can Peeta. You're the only one I'm okay with touching it."

He places a hand on it and says,"it just, you were so angry earlier with me and you would barely let me touch you."

"I'm okay now."

I place my hand over his and rub it up and down my stomach. Then something strange happens. I feel a strong fluttering from inside my stomach and I freeze. I can tell Peeta felt it too because he gasps and smiles. I'm frozen in fear.

"The baby. The baby kicked!"he says happily.

"Katniss?"He asks.

I swallow hard and grip his hand as I start to hyperventalate. "Katniss, calm down, please just calm down."

"P-p-peeta...I'm so scared."

"You have no reason to be scared."

"Peeta, something's wrong..."

"It's supposed to move, Katniss."

"Peeta, I'm so scared. I'm not meant to be a mom."I say, tears stream down my face.

"Katniss, listen to me. You are going to be a great mom. The baby is just kicking and its perfectly normal. Please just calm down."

I close my eyes and try to work on my breathing. I wipe my eyes and then open them to look into his beautiful blue eyes. His blonde locks are starting to fall into his eyes. He needs a hair cut.

Then the doctor walks in.

"Hello, Mr. and Mrs. Mellark, I'm Dr. Macklin."

"Hello,"Peeta says shaking her hand.

"Are you ready to find out the gender of your baby?"

"Yes."

"I need you to roll up your shirt. I'm going to place a cold gel on your stomach and use this wand so that we can see the baby on this screen."We nod and she does so. The screen lights up to show a definitely more developed baby than before.

"Are you ready?"She asks.

"Yes."We say in unison.

"It's a...girl!"

"A girl,"Peeta repeats.

He leans over to kiss me and says,"a baby girl."

The doctor gives us pictures of our baby girl and soon we are on our way home. When we get home, I go and call my mom.

"Hello?"

"Hi mom."

"Katniss! How are you? How's Peeta? And the baby?"

"We're all fine. I wanted to tell you something. We found out the gender today."

"Really?!"

"It's a girl!"

"A girl! That's amazing!"

"Are you going to have a baby shower?"

"A what?"

"It was more of a merchant thing, but, it's when a first time mother has a party thrown by her friends and they all bring gifts that will help with the baby. It's a fun thing. And it's a girl's only party."

"Um..."

"I think you should talk to Effie, I'm sure she would love to throw you a baby shower."

"It would be nice to see Effie again. I'll give her a call."

"Okay, sweetie. I love you."

"Love you too."

After hanging up with my mom, I decide to take her advice and have a baby shower. So I call Effie.

"Hello, Effie Trinket speaking,"she says in her formal tone.

"Hi, Effie, it's Katniss."

"Katniss! Katniss Mellark! Oh darling I heard about the pregnancy! And I am so happy for you both."

"Thank you, Effie."

"So, tell me all about it."

"Well we found out its a girl. And I was wondering if you had time to throw a baby shower."

"Of course I do! Everything else can wait! How's next week, we could start planning?! Oh I'm so excited!"

"Next week is fine. Are you sure it's enough time?"

"Of that's more than enough time! It could be in two weeks."

"Okay."

"Oh we have so much to talk about! I will be there in a week, see you then darling!"

"Bye Effie."

When I hang up I think, what have I gotten into?


	40. Baby shower

Katniss pov

Today is the day Effie arrives. Peeta and I make our way to the train station. When Effie sees me, she squeals.

"Katniss look at you! You're absolutely glowing! And Peeta! As handsome as ever!"

Her blonde hair is pulled into a graceful up do, her pencil shirt constricting her from walking normally. She kisses us on the cheek and hugs us. "We have so much work!"

When we get back to the house, and after being bombarded with questions by Effie, she finally tells me what is going to happen.

"Well traditionally, boys aren't allowed-"

I go to protest but she cuts me off,"however, I know you wouldn't want to leave Peeta. So we can invite the boys too."

"Okay,"I say.

"We will also have some games."

"No games Effie,"I sigh.

"Bit dear-"

"No, I don't want any stupid games."

"But what would they do?"

"We could talk. Whenever we get together we always talk for hours, it will be fine Effie."

"I still say we have one or two games."

"What's next?"I ask.

"Well, Peeta obviously will make the cake, so next will be the guest list."

"Okay, well Haymitch, Johanna and Gale, Annie and Finn, my mom, Greasy Sae and her granddaughter, Hazelle and the kids, Cressida and her husband, am I missing anyone?"I ask Peeta.

"Hmmmm...oh! Delly and Thom."

"Okay. That settles it. I'll get some decorations and-"

"What? No, no decorations Effie."

"Katniss,"she sighs,"you need decorations."

"No I don't need them."

"But Katniss,"She says.

"No! No one cares about that type of stuff!"I say and get up. I storm up into our room. I know I should apologize to Effie but I'm just tired and angry that she won't accept that I don't want a fancy baby shower.

I hear familiar footsteps that can only be Peeta. He comes and climbs on the bed with me. "I'll apologize to Effie later,"I say.

"Reminds me of another time,"he says,"on the victory tour..."

I roll over and come face to face with Peeta. Then I roll over more so that my back is pressed against his chest, his arms wrap around me and he clasps them over mine that are on my stomach.

He kisses my cheek and rubs my stomach. This calms me tremendously. "Are you still angry?"he asks.

"No..."

"Good. Because I know Effie is trying really hard not to explode. She's doing a lot for you."He says.

"I know,"I sigh.

I lay in his arms for a while and eventually I fall asleep. When I wake up, Peeta isn't holding me anymore and its close to dinner time. When I go downstairs, Peeta is cooking.

"Good afternoon, darling,"Effie says cheerfully.

"I'm sorry for snapping at you,"I say.

"Oh dear, I don't blame you."

She gets up from her chair and hugs me. I accept this hug and then she smiles at me.

* * *

Baby shower day

Peeta and I help Effie set up food and drinks in the kitchen when the door rings. When I open it, Johanna and Gale, along with Aspen and Aaron. "Hey guys!"I say. They hug me tightly and walk in.

We all sit in the kitchen, and Effie talks to Gale about him being a father, and Johanna makes sex jokes to Peeta. Soon my mom and Annie arrive, along with Finn. They walk into the room right as Johanna is in the middle of one.

"-well I bet she still rides you! Oh shit Finn!"

Annie gives her a fake warning laugh but just laughs. Peeta blushes uncontrollably, and it gets worse when my mom makes eye contact with him. She just laughs a little. Peeta looks down.

My mom sits down next to him and says,"it's okay Peeta, I'm not oblivious to sex, I mean she is pregnant and I was a married woman."

Peeta smiles a little but still is blushing. I take his hand in mine and squeeze it. He looks over at me and smiles back at me.

"Uncle Peeta!"Finn says excitedly after saying hi to his Aunt Johanna and Uncle Gale. Peeta just loves Finn. He runs to Peeta and wraps his arms around his uncle.

"Hey buddy,"Peeta says.

Then Finn turns and hugs me,"hi Aunt Katniss, you look different."

"Finn!"his mom scolds.

"It's okay, Annie,"I say laughing,"it's just because I'm having a baby, Finn."

"Oh,"he says.

Soon everyone else comes too.

Cressida comes with a very tall dark haired man with a small beard, well more of stubble, and has dark eyes.

"Katniss!"she says excitedly.

"Cressida, I'm so happy you made it!"

"This is my husband Jamie."

"Hi Jamie, I'm Katniss Mellark."I say.

"It's nice to meet you, "he says.

"I'm Peeta Mellark,"Peeta says shaking his hand.

"Congratulations,"he says to us.

"Thank you,"we say.

"Okay everyone!" Effie interrupts,"we'll be cutting the cake!"

"It was nice to meet you,"I say before Effie pulls us away. Peeta wouldn't let me see the cake, so I'm excited to see it. Peeta brings it out from where he was hiding it. It's a beautiful cake covered in flowers made of frosting.

"Peeta,"I gasp,"it's beautiful!"

I hug him and he kisses my cheek.

The taste of the cake is even better than how it looks, which is really hard to do because it looked amazing!

Then we go and open presents.

We get so many cute clothes from Annie and Finn, and Cressida and her husband get us a baby monitor. Delly and Thom get us some blankets and really cute teddy bears. When I open Johanna's present, I don't know what it is and she has to explain to me that it's a breast pump and it will help me a lot. Effie gives us so many bright pink things.

My mom gives us a quilt that she made herself, which my hormones take over and I cry. Then Haymitch comes with his gift for us.

I gasp as soon as I see it and hug him life my life depended on it, tears streaming down my face. "Haymitch, when did you do this?"I ask looking at the beautiful hand crafted crib.

"I thought about it as soon as you told me you were pregnant. I've had it for a long time. I made it a long time ago, but that's a story for another time. I cleaned it up and I decided that this was meant for your kids. For my grandchildren."

"Thank you,Haymitch,"I say as I'm taken over by hiccups and tears.

"I love you, sweetheart,"he whispers hugging me.

"I love you too, Haymitch."

A/N so I will be making a one shot on Haymitch's story for y'all. And Cressida's husband is Jamie Dornan because for some reason he came to mind when I was thinking of a husband for her, I don't know why.


	41. Haymitch's Story

I just wanted to let you all know that the one shot is up. It's called Haymitch's Story. Please read and review it, I hope you all like it.


	42. her birthday

Katniss pov

When I wake up, I instantly start to cry. It's the day I've been dreading all year.

Prim's birthday.

Peeta is still asleep when I wake up, but is soon woken up by my loud heavy sobs. He pulls me into his arms and asks,"what's wrong?"

"It's today."

"What's today?" He asks confusion evident in his blue eyes.

"Her birthday."

"Oh Katniss,"he sighs,"I'm sorry, I didn't realize it was today. C'mere."

He kisses my forehead and rocks me back and forth. I hear him crying with me as he does so. I cling onto Peeta like my life depended on it. I wish I could have saved her. She deserves to be here. To be alive. To get married and have kids. To be here with her niece. I miss my sister. My little duck. My Primrose.

Peeta scoops me up and brings me to the bathroom. I'm still in tears as he sets me down on the toilet and draws a bath for us. He helps me out of my clothes and helps me sink into the warm tub. Then he gets in behind me and I lean up against his chest. He lets me sit there and cry in his arms for a while and then starts to wash my hair.

He kisses my shoulder and massages my back. I stand up and get out of the tub and Peeta is right behind me. We change and then Peeta goes to cook breakfast. I'm not hungry though.

He goes to the phone and calls the boys, telling them that the bakery will be closed today. He tells me that Rory wasn't planning on coming in anyway today. He's in mourning of his best friend.

"Katniss, please eat."

I just shake my head and get up, running upstairs to the closet. I haven't done this in so long, but I'm back to my old ways today. I still have days like these, and today is one of the worst.

I hear Peeta following me, but I don't care. I lock myself in the closet. Peeta sits outside the door and I think he rests his head against it. "Katniss,"he says,"his voice sounds sad and tired,"please come out."

I don't move. I just lay against the wall. Tears stream down my face and I place my hand on my stomach. I can feel her kicking. I rub my hand hoping to calm her. "Katniss,"Peeta speaks again,"please at least talk to me. Tell me what's on your mind."

"Prim."

"You can tell me."

"She should be alive. I miss her so much. I loved her so much. I wish she could have met her niece and gotten married and had her own kids... I promised her that I would take her to the lake on day and that I would save enough money to give her a cake on her birthday, but I never got to it..."I reduce to tears, not being able to speak.

Peeta speaks again,"what do you miss?"

"Everything. Her love, her smile, her excitement, the way she could-she could light up a room without trying. She made everyday better. And I tried so hard to save her. She was the only thing worth living for, for so long."

"I miss how happy she always was..."

"She's with my dad now...two of the best people, taken away from me. Stay with me, Peeta."

"Always."

"Will you please let me in?"he asks.

I sigh and unlock the door. He opens it up and sits with me. "Will you please eat, for her?"he asks placing a hand on my stomach. I sigh and cry in his arms.

"I know it hurts, I've lost family too. In fact she was like family to me. You never get over it..."He sighs.

I feel bad because Peeta has lost his whole family, and on their birthdays he doesn't break down. He just rocks me back and forth and comforts me. Eventually I let him feed me.

After I say,"I want to go to her grave."

"You do?"he asks.

"I want to grow Primroses around it." I declare looking into his eyes.

"Okay, we'll plant some."He says nodding,"I'll go dig up some from the backyard."

Peeta takes my hand and leads me to her grave with the plants in the other hand. When we get to it, Peeta instantly starts to plant them. When he's done, I drop to my knees and cry.

Peeta drops down next to me and holds me as I cry to her grave. "I love you,Prim."I say. Then I get up and we walk home. That night I go to my old house and go into her room that has been untouched for so many years. And cry on her bed holding her brush and her teddy bear.

Peeta holds me that night and tries to get my mind off of her by talking about the baby. He tells me about the mural he's going to paint for the baby's room and how it's going to be perfect. He also lays with his head on my stomach talking to the baby.

I actually smile while he does this. No matter what mood I'm in, Peeta talking to the baby always makes me smile. I run my hand through his hair as he kisses my stomach. I realize the pain I've put him through today. I'm surprised he stayed. Actually I'm not. Peeta is such an amazing husband even though I'm not a very good wife. I'm so lucky to have my boy with the bread.

That's the way we fall asleep. Him laying his head on my stomach and my hand in his hair.

A/N very sad chapter. Tell me what you think! Please review!


	43. the grocery store

This chapter goes to my friend who is sick and has been sick for a few days. She needed more to read so I'm updating this just for her!

Katniss pov

When I wake up, Peeta is already awake. He had a nightmare, I can tell. There are dark circles around his eyes and he's staring blankly at the wall as he rocks back and forth. I sit up and place my hand on his shoulder. It doesn't faze him.

He just stares ahead.

"Peeta..."I sigh.

He has red eyes, like he's been crying, and his cheeks are tear streaked. I wrap my arms around him and slowly pull him into my arms.

"What happened?"

"It was a nightmare..."

"Tell me about it."I say.

"You. They took you and killed you in front of me. I watched the life leave your eyes, but only after you were raped by capitol men. I wanted to kill them so badly but I was locked behind so many bars, my prosthetic gone, and I was wrapped in chains. I couldn't move. It was terrible."

"That will never happen."

"I'm okay once I see your okay."

I kiss his head and run my fingers through his hair. "Not real,"I whisper,"not real."

"You love me, real or not real?"

"Real."

His head is on my chest, his hand on my stomach as I hold him. I rest my head on his and my hand is in his hair, my other arm wrapped around him. I hear him chuckle as the baby goes wild and kicks his hand. He kisses my stomach and rubs it.

The baby starts to push on my bladder. I slowly push Peeta off of me and stand up, running to the bathroom. After I relive myself, I walk back into the room and last on the bed next to Peeta. He kisses my nose and then gets up.

I watch him walk out the door and downstairs. I go to follow him but a sharp pain hits my back. My mom explained these to me. It's called Braxton hicks. They're like a contraction, but they're just preparing my bday for the real thing. Peeta always gets really worried when I get them.

I take deep breaths, then follow him. I hear Peeta sigh as he looks through the cabinets. "We really need to go to the store...I also need to put in an order for the bakery."

"Okay, we'll go today."

"Okay, how about after we eat breakfast?"

"Okay."

After we eat and get dressed, Peeta and I make our way to the new grocery store that was built by the hob. The hob helped create it. They decided that the hob was too small to have everything in it, so they had all their food people make a store next to the hob so that they still make their profit.

As we walk, I'm hit with another bout of pain. I try to hide it from Peeta but it's too late, I squeezed his hand by accident as it shot through me. He looks at me, his face full of worry.

"It's okay,"I say.

He starts to rub my back in a way that always calms me down, I kiss his cheek and smile at him, hoping he'll stop worrying.

As we walk down town I see a familiar face that I haven't seen in a while. "Katniss! Peeta!"she yells happily as she runs up to us. It's Christy, the girl we save from the mutts a few years ago.

"Christy!" Peeta says happily.

"Whoa! Wow! Congratulations!"she says looking at my stomach. I smile at her and say,"thanks, a few months after we saved you, I found out I was pregnant."

"Oh really? Well I'm happy for you."She says.

"Thank you,"Peeta says.

"It was nice seeing you two, but we must be going, we're actually moving."

"Really? Where?"

"My grandma, she's really sick. Her body is breaking down, so we are moving to 4. They have the best hospital."

"I'm sorry that she's so sick."I say.

"Thanks,"she says sadly.

She gives us hugs before leaving. "That's so sad,"I say to Peeta as we walk.

"Yeah it is. She's matured so much since the last time we saw her."

"Yeah, she's a lot more mature. I think taking care of her grandma has done that."

"Yeah, I can relate. My dad dying made me really mature early too."

When we get to the store, Peeta and I start to pick up all the things we need. It's nice to be out of the house but my ankles are swollen and my back hurts. So while Peeta goes to put in his orders for the bakery in the back, I go to the front of the store and look for the oils I use to cook with. I finally find it and then make my way one isle over to look for tea.

This store is so huge. There's so many things to buy here and an order area in the back. As I look at all the different types of tea, I feel another sharp pain in my back. This one is much stronger than the others.

I bend over in pain as it shoots through me and I feel a liquid gush between my legs. Oh shit!

I groan as I lay on the ground. I accidentally knocked over many boxes all over the floor as I fell and my basket that held what I carrying dropped also. I really hope someone heard that because I can't move and I'm gasping in pain.

That's when I hear a familiar voice.

"Katniss!"

I look up to see Hazelle and Posy running to me. I sigh in relief. Thank God Hazelle was here. She helps me sit up and asks me what happened.

"I-I'm in labor!"I say in pain.

"Oh my Lord! Where's Peeta?"

"H-he's I-in the back, he's putting in an order."

"Posy, go find Peeta." She tells the six year old. She quickly takes off, her braids flailing as she runs.

"Okay, Katniss, I'm going to tell you this now, I've given birth 4 times, and believe me, no matter how many times you do it, it's still terribly painful."

I groan,"why does it have to be so painful!"

"I know, it sucks, but it worth it. Hopefully it goes by quick. I was in labor with Gale for 18 hours! Let's hope that doesn't happen."

"Oh God! Please no!"

She picks up what dropped and then takes my hand. "Deep breaths."

The pain stops but the ache is still there. I hear heavy foot steps around the corner and soon Peeta and Posy come barreling towards us. He scoops me up and thanks Hazelle and Posy. Quickly he runs us back to our house, dodging everyone in our way, although most people moved when they saw him running...


	44. labor

Katniss pov

Terrible pain shoots through my lower back as Peeta runs us home. I'm surprised he can even do that with all my weight and his bad leg, but somehow having a wife in labor definitely gives him the adrenaline needed to rush me home without falling. I don't really doubt his strength though. He's always been so strong. I remember watching him and brothers haul 50 pound bags of flour when the bakery would get shipments when I was younger.

"Oh God,"I groan as I'm hit with another contraction.

"We're almost home!" He pants.

So we're flying through the door and he's setting me on the couch so he can call my mom and Haymitch. This morning my mom decided to go check on Haymitch, so luckily he only has to make one phone call.

"They are on their way,"he informs me.

I just nod my head as I bite my lip, holding back a scream. I look into Peeta's ocean blue eyes and I see a mixture of excitement, fear, and pain. Mostly excitement and pain, even though he's not the one going through labor! He helps me stand up and the swoops me into his arms.

My mom explained to us how this would go. We would go to a room and change the sheets (something we've already done) then I would change out of my pants and underwear and I'm supposed to lay on the bed with a blanket to cover me until I'm at 10 centimeters and can push the baby out of my birth canal. It's uglier than it sounds. I remember watching my mom deliver a baby. After that, I never helped her when a pregnant lady would come in.

I never really helped at all.

When my mom and Haymitch come bursting through the door in a hurry. I'm in Peeta's arms as he is about to take me upstairs. "Has your water broke?"

"Yes,"I say.

"Okay, well, Peeta, help her clean up and then change."

Peeta nods and brings me to the bathroom upstairs. He strips me of my pants and underwear then gets a rag to clean my thighs. I waddle to the room and change into a nightgown, then get in bed. Peeta gets a blanket and covers my leg then calls for mom and Haymitch.

"Okay, I'm going to check on you. Okay?"

"Okay."

She does a check up and says,"only one centimeter." I groan.

"I feel like I need to walk around."I say.

"Walking will help, Peeta why don't you just kinda walk around the house with her?"

"Alright," Peeta says and takes my arm as he helps me out of bed. He helps me walk down the hall upstairs. We hear the door open and from the banister, see Hazelle. "Hi, Hazelle," Peeta says.

"Hi, Peeta, hi Katniss. I brought you your groceries. I'll set them on the table."

"You didn't have to do that!"I say.

"I know, but I feel bad that you didn't get to finish, but once you go into labor, you go into labor."

"Well, thank you very much, Hazelle. That was very kind of you,"Peeta says.

"It's really no problem. I also came to see how you were doing, Katniss?"

"I'm fine. It doesn't exactly feel good but I know it'll get worse."

"That's very true." She says,"I'll be going now, I'll come back later when Gale and Johanna come."

"Okay, bye Hazelle."

I groan as I feel the pain get worse. Peeta holds me closer to him as my legs weaken. "Lets get you back in bed. You obviously are in too much pain to walk."

I sigh but nod. He helps me to the room and in bed. I groan again and lean into Peeta. He kisses my forehead and holds me to him. My mom says,"you should try to sleep, you two will need all the sleep you can get because after this, you won't get much for a while."

Peeta climbs in next to me and I curl up to him. His hand rests on my stomach and my back. I sigh into his chest and breathe in the smell of dill and cinnamon. I kiss his chest and allow him to kiss me.

Eventually I drift off to sleep and don't wake up for a few hours. Although it wasn't a very good rest because when I wake up, I'm still tired and now the pain is worse. "Oh, you're awake!" My mom says.

"Time for another check?"I ask.

"Yup!"She says,"only 6 centimeters. Getting close."

That's when the door opens and Johanna and Gale walk in.

"Whoa! Just got a good view of all that shit! Is that what I looked like? Cuz that's awful!" Johanna says.

That wakes Peeta up, who was still peacefully asleep before Johanna rudely woke him up. "Johanna, what a lovely surprise,"I deadpan.

"Oh cheer up, brainless. You're only ejecting a baby from your vagina."

"Oh joy!"I say with fake excitement.

"And your hips dislocate!" She says excitedly.

"Please, Johanna,"Peeta says,"don't scare her out of her mind or she'll never have this baby!"

"I thought she should know the joys of birth."

"I'd rather not."

* * *

Finally the time comes when my mom tells me it's time to push. Peeta and Gale take my hands as Johanna presses on my back. I scream out in terrible pain as I push all that I can. I even yell at Peeta a little bit.

"I SWEAR TO GOD IF YOU EVER TRY TO COME INSIDE ME AGAIN I'M GONNA CUT IT OFF!"

Johanna got a kick out of that.

"One more push,"my mom says.

I squeeze their hands as hard as I can as I push as hard as I can. Then finally I feel her pop out of me as her cries fill the room. "Come cut the umbilical cord, Peeta,"my mom says. I see his face light up so much as he does so and then brings our baby girl to me.

I hold her against my chest and kiss her forehead for the first time. Her eyes are shut as she cries and my takes her away for just a second to wash her. "So what are you naming her?" Asks Haymitch as he walks in.

"Willow Primrose Mellark." Peeta and I say proudly.

"That's beautiful!"My mom says as she brings Willow to me. She's wrapped in a pink blanket. I hold her in my arms, tears in my eyes. She's so beautiful. Finally her eyes open. They are a perfect blue like Peeta's. Her head is covered in brown fuzzy curls. She starts to whimper and my mom tells me it's time to feed her.

"I don't really know how to..."I say sheepishly.

My mom smiles and says,"I know, it's okay. My mom had to show me too."

She helps me latch her onto my nipple so I can feed her. "You'll get better and soon you'll easily know the signs that she's hungry. Most of the time it's hunger."

When she finishes, my mom shows me how to burp her. This is such a different experience. I hand her to Peeta and allow him to hold our daughter. He looks so happy holding her. He was meant to be a dad.

He kisses me and says,"sleep, love. You're exhausted. Don't worry, she'll be here when you wake up."

I want to stay up, but he's right. I am exhausted. So with that I drift off to sleep.


	45. motherhood

Katniss pov

I wake to a cry of a baby. I have to get used to waking up so much. I get up and go to the bassinet against the wall. Willow is crying inside it. I gently pick her up and check her diaper. It's not dirty, so I think she might be hungry. My breasts feel really full and uncomfortable which is what my mom said is a sign that it might be feeding time. God they feel so heavy! I pull one boob out from my nightgown and instantly she latches on. I walk back over to the bed and sit next to Peeta who is laying with the pillow over his head now. He rolls over and moves his head from under the pillow and looks at me.

He sits up and kisses my cheek. Then looks to our baby and lightly caresses her head. Soon I feel her stop sucking, when I look at her, I can't help but laugh. I nudge Peeta and tell him to look.

He starts to laugh also when he sees that she has fallen asleep while feeding. I lift her from my boob that doesn't feel quite empty, and burp her. I hold her in my arms for a few minutes and then return her to her bassinet.

When I get back in bed, Peeta wraps me in his arms and we instantly fall asleep.

After breakfast, I take Willow with me to Johanna's. After a couple weeks, Peeta is finally returning to work. I'm definitely nervous because it will be my first time without him with her. Whenever I didn't know what to do or freaked out, Peeta would be there to help me, or be the calm one in the situation.

Luckily I have Johanna who has been a mom a little longer and can help me. I place Willow in the carrier and make my way over to her house. She opens the door with Aspen on her hip sucking on a toy, and Aaron hanging onto her leg.

"Hi, brainless!" she greets me.

"Hi, Johanna."

"Aww, hi little cutie,"she says as she looks into the carrier.

I set her down on the couch and take her out of the carrier. She sucks on her fingers and the her eyes flutter close. She's asleep most of the time. "Can I hold her?"Johanna asks.

"Sure, but she's asleep."

"Yeah, the first month or so she'll be asleep most of the time."

I hand her over to Johanna who smiles brightly at her. "I miss this age but at the same time I miss my sleep. Although it's easier when they can't walk-or run. Enjoy it now."

Aspen runs up to me with a toy and says,"Hi!"

"Hi!"I say.

"Hi!"he says again.

"That's his favorite word,"Johanna says.

He hands me his toy and then takes off. That's when Aaron runs up to me and tries to cuddle with me. He's such a cuddly kid. I'm not very good with this loving but I allow him to cuddle with me.

"He's my little cuddler."

"I can tell!"I say happily.

"So how are you liking motherhood?"

"I like it, it's a little scary though. If it weren't for Peeta, I don't know what would happen." I say.

"Yeah, I totally understand you on that."

"You know what I hated the most at first?"she asks.

"What?"

"The sex, I couldn't have sex for a while because these two tore me up pretty good. And believe me, I wanted it. What about you and Peeta?"

"Well, we've both have been really exhausted, and I'm still healing. But honestly, I haven't really have had the drive for it. I don't know about Peeta though."

"I'm sure he misses it, I mean he is a hormonal boy," she says.

"He's not a boy, he's a man." I mumble.

"You would know,"she says with a wink. I instantly blush and look away which makes her laugh even harder and says,"you've had a kid, yet you're still this pure!"

That's when Gale walks in.

And him hearing that makes me blush more.

"Oh, brainless! I love how pure you STILL are even after sex."

"I am not!" I say.

"Oh you so are!"

That's when Willow wakes up and starts to cry. I take her from Johanna and check her diaper which was full, so I change her. Then I cradle her in my arms as she sucks on her thumb.

"She's a cutie,"Gale says with a grin that wrinkles his eyes. I can see the stress showing in his face, only a little bit. All of uswere forced to grow up young. Johanna's only 29 yet she's been 45 for a long time. And Peeta, Gale, and I are only in our early twenties, yet we've been 40 for a long time too.

"Can I hold her?"

"Of course,"I say handing her to him.

She grabs onto his finger with her tiny hand. She looks so tiny in his arms. I watch as Aspen, ever so curious, runs to his dad and tries to look at what's in his arms. The almost one year old climbs onto the couch and tries to poke at her. Gale stops him and says,"be gentle, she's just a little baby. You need to be careful."

"Daddy,"he says.

"Hey, buddy."

"So how's motherhood for you?"

"It's good, a little scary, but good."

"How's Peeta liking parenthood?"

"He loves it, he's such a natural! I swear he was born to be a father."

"That's good to hear."

Later I take Willow with me to see Peeta at work.

Peeta is turned around piping a cake when I walk in, so I set the carrier on the counter quietly and take Willow out of it. I sneak up behind him and kiss his neck. He jumps, causing him to spill frosting all over his hand. He turns around and says,"you scared me!"

Sorry,"I say giggling as I take frosting from his hand and put it on his noes. He smiles and does the same to me. I reach up and kiss it off of his noes with a smirk. Then he goes and licks it off of my noes. After wiping his hands on his apron, he takes Willow from me.

"Hi baby girl!"

She coos and grabs his finger. He kisses her forehead and smiles at has such a whole hearted smile when he looks at her. It's full of love. She yawns so he starts to lightly bounce her. A customer comes up to order and instantly coos over how adorable she is.

Of course Peeta knows everyone who comes here, so he instantly gets into a conversation with her and talks about how her kids and grandkids are doing. He's just so damn likeable!

Peeta hands her off to me so he can get the order. That's when she starts to get fussy, so I go to his office to feed her. A few minutes later Peeta comes in.

"I'm putting her down to sleep," I whisper.

He nods as I put her in a play pin that we have here. She looks so peaceful when she sleeps. Like an angle. I yawn and Peeta tells me to sleep. I agree so I lay down on the couch in there. He kisses my lips then leaves me to sleep with my baby sleeping peacefully near me.


	46. Easter

A/N I'm going to have an Easter themed chapter! I hope everyone has a great Easter!

Katniss pov a few months later

Peeta and I sit in the kitchen with Willow on his lap. I watch as he paints eggs for Easter, a holiday I never celebrated because we couldn't. Only one time was I able to, that was when I was five. My dad shot three deers. He sold two and kept one for us. It was a great day for him hunting wise. We painted eggs with some paint he traded for and then we had to find them. Prim was only one so she doesn't remember it.

"I used to Paint eggs for all the merchants. They would all get together at the mayor's house. My mom would make me paint them for money, but I never wanted to. I would have just painted them just because. I would always slip a dozen to Madge and Delly though. It was always nice though, I'd get to hang out with Delly and Madge. We would hide from the party because all the parents would show us off to their friends. Of course my mom would only act like she thought I was great, only to beat me about not being great later. Madge's house was so big, there were so many places for the three of us to hide."

"I can't believe her,"I say angrily,"how could a mother ever hurt her child. How could a mother ever not lover her child."

Peeta looks at Willow who is putting her hands in paint and then clapping them together laughing. He smiles at her and says,"it doesn't matter if she loved me or not, all that matters is if I love my child, and I do."

I smile at him and move to kiss him. "And I love you too,"he says.

Willow laughs happily as Peeta places her hand on an egg so we have her hampering on it. Then he gets a canvas and starts to print her hand and foot prints on it. I smile at this and Peeta motions for me. He places my hand in paint and places it on the canvas, then does his hand too. He writes "Mellark" on the top in beautiful writing.

"It's so amazing!"I say.

"It's going to go right here,"he says as he puts it over the arch way to the kitchen. I pick up Willow and say,"I should get her cleaned up."

She reaches her hand up and gets paint all across my face and shirt. I roll my eyes and Peeta laughs hard. So while he's laughing, I smear paint all over his face and shirt.

"Oh that's just dirty!"he says.

"Just like you."

With that I go to the bathroom and clean up Willow. Then I place her in the play pin so that I can get cleaned up. Peeta also cones in and joins me in cleaning up...

On Easter, I wake up alone. Peeta is in the shower but I notice that he laid out an outfit for me. A dress. It's my favorite shade of yellow. Dandelion yellow. It's a spaghetti strap that is close around my breasts to my waist where a white flower lace print is. Then it flows out from there with a sheer top layer. Then the bottom has the same lace. He has it paired with tan sandles and a necklace with big white flowers outlined in gold.

I stare at the dress in awe. That's when I feel arms wrap around me from behind and his naked chest on mine. He kisses my neck and says,"how do you like it?"

"I love it!"

"I was hoping you would."

"But why'd you get it?"I ask.

"I saw it in the new clothes store and though it would look beautiful on you. I just couldn't resist getting it. I hope it fits you."

I start to undress and put it on. It's really tight on my breasts and it gives me more cleavage than I should have. I think breast feeding has made them grow almost two times the size they were. It doesn't hurt them, but I feel like I'm showing too much.

"It's a little tight up top, I feel like I'm showing too much,"I tell him.

"I think you look great, and I think it makes you look amazing."

He starts to kiss me numerous times but stop him and say,"get dressed. We have to be at Johanna's in a few hours."

I make my way to Willow's room to find a dress laid out the same color as mine and it has a pretty yellow Primrose on it. Peeta you have done it again! I get her dressed and put on a matching headband.

She looks so adorable!

Right as I'm feeding her, Haymitch comes in dressed all nice. I don't bother covering up as I breast feed Willow because it's just Haymitch who has had to put up with this a lot lately.

When Peeta comes down dressed and ready, he hands Haymitch a camera and he takes a picture of us.

"Ready to go?"he asks and I nod.

When we get to Johanna and Gale's house, Johanna answers the door and the first thing she says is,"Damn! You guys are like the picture perfect families in those pictures!"

We're anything but perfect, well except for Peeta and Willow."

"Oh Brainless, you are definitely looking good, I mean that cleavage!"

"I didn't pick out this dress, Peeta did."

"Well it's obvious why he did." She says laughing

I roll my eyes and say,"I don't think he realized that my boobs have grown."

"Trust me honey, he noticed. Every guy in the world noticed."

We join everyone in the backyard where tables have been set. There are twinkling lights hanging from tree to tree and lanterns made of mason jars.

"Whoa, Johanna! Did you do this?"I ask.

"A little bit, Annie did most. She's great at decorating. I gave her some input but mostly listened to what she told me to do. Looks nice, huh?"

"It's beautiful!"

"Wait til the nighttime. We put them up last night and they were beautiful!"

I set Willow down on the grass and she walks over to her cousins who are playing on the grass. I'm so happy that she's getting along so well with her cousins who are almost a year older. It's all their first Easter. It's all of ours too as a family.

I look around to see our family.

Haymitch, Johanna, Gale, the boy's, his family, me, Peeta, Willow, Annie, Finn, Thom and Delly, Sae and her granddaughter, and my mom is coming too. There are also a few guys from the mines that Gale used to work with and their families.

"AUNT KATNISS!"I hear before I'm hugged by Finn.

"Hi, buddy!"I say and hug him back.

"Oh Katniss! You look beautiful!"Annie says.

"Thanks, you look absolutely stunning!" I say, she wears a light teal dress that is very flowy.

"Thank you!"

"And might I say, you did a beautiful job out here."

She blushes and says,"it was no big deal."

"It's amazing!"

"Thanks."

"Your mom's here, Brainless!" Johanna calls from the door.

Peeta and I make our way inside where I see my mom.

"Hi mom."

"Hello Katniss, happy Easter!"she says and hugs me. Then the same to Peeta.

"So where is my beautiful granddaughter?"

"Outside playing with the other kids,"I say.

She goes out to see her, so I decide to help Johanna in the kitchen. She's chopping up stuff for a potato salad I think. "Hi, Johanna."

"Oh thank God! I don't think I can stomach this anymore!"she says handing me the knife. She was cutting eggs. They don't smell that bad. That's when I notice her gagging in the corner.

"Are you feeling alright?"I ask.

She shakes her head and says,"I could never stomach eggs when I was pregnant."

"Johanna, are you pregnant?"I ask.

She simply nods.

"Does Gale know?"

She shakes her head.

"Johanna, aren't twins enough? I mean they're only one." I joke.

"Not. Funny." She says through her teeth,"I didn't plan this."

"Accidents happen. But I'd recommend birth control."

"I stopped while breast feeding, but I forgot about it."

I walk over to her and hug her. "I know it's not what you planned, but you're a great mother. Even with another unplanned kid. But you have to tell Gale."

"I know. Maybe you aren't all that brainless, Brainless."

Soon after that we have the Easter egg hunt. I watch as Peeta helps Willow find eggs. Gale is also out there with Aspen and Aaron. Willow plays with the string in her basket and of course the eggs.

Later when most people are gone, we sit in thebackyard under the beautiful lights. I lean on Peeta as I listen to Haymitch talk about some wild goose chase (literally). Willow is asleep in a play pin along with Aspen and Aaron. The three of them had such a big day today. I'm not surprised that they're knocked out.

I'm about to fall asleep myself. Peeta holds me and kisses my cheek. I smile up at him and snuggle closer to him.

That night I sleep like a baby. I'm so tired from such a big day. But at the same time, I can't wait for the next.

A/N happy Easter!


	47. Pregnancy babysitter

Katniss pov

I wake to our phone ringing. I get up groaning and answer it. Who could be calling at this hour?

"Hello?"I say yawning.

"Hey Catnip,"Gale says.

"Gale? What's wrong? Why are you calling so early?"

"I'm really sorry, Katniss, I know you're tired, but I was something in the capitol and I have to go in an hour, but I'm not comfortable leaving Johanna byherself. She's been really sick lately. And I'm worried about her."

She hasn't told him yet!

"Hmmm, that's weird. Maybe she caught something..."

"Yeah, I'm worried that she did catch something. That's why I'm wondering if you could come and just keep an eye on her."

In the back I hear,"I don't need a babysitter Gale!"

"Please?"I hear him ask me.

"Yeah, I'll be over soon."

"Thank you so much!"he says then hangs up.

I get up and start to change. Peeta stirs from the bed, rolling over and placing his hands under the pillow and smothering his face in it. I sit next to him and run my hands through his hair.

He moves his head to look at me and he blinks a few times. "Did you have a nightmare?"he asks.

I shake my head.. I'm surprised he didn't wake up to the sound of the phone ringing. "Gale called. He's needed in the capitol and asked me to stay with Johanna because she's not feeling well."

"Okay." He says,"I love you."

"I love you too. When you go to the bakery, you could drop Willow off, but I don't want to disturb her. She's sleeping so peacefully."

"Well if Johanna is sick, then two kids there is enough. I could take her with me to work,"he yawns.

"Okay,"I say and kiss him.

Before I leave, I get some herbs that my mom sent when I had morning sickness. Then I grab some more things for her to chew on and some jasmine for her house because it's soothing. Then I set out.

When I get to their house, which isn't far because they're in the Victors Village.

I just walk in when I get there because she won't answer the door. As soon as Iwalk in, I can hear her throwing up. The house is dark because it's only 2:47 and the lights are off. I stumble my way to the sound that's coming from hee bathroom. I run onto Gale who was just walking out of the room.

"Oh! Sorry, Catnip!"he whispers.

"I'm going to go now. I need to be at the train in 10 minutes which is how long it takes to walk there."

"Gee thanks, leave me with the she witch!"I whisper back.

"Thank you,Catnip,"he whispers with a laugh.

I walk into the bathroom where Johanna lays against the tub.

When I hear the door shut downstairs, I say,"so you haven't told him yet, huh?"

"No,"she says.

"And why not?"

"Because I'm afraid that it will be too much."

"Why?"

"He said he didn't want anymore kids, and I didn't either and now..."

"You need to tell him. He's really worried about you."

"I don't know how he'll take it."

"Love has softened you up. The Johanna I know wouldn't care how he felt about it. But you actually love him. You actually care about what he thinks. How'd you tell him last time?"

"Well, it was one day in Seven. He was there on business and we of course were fucking like rabbits. I had found out a few days before. I wanted him in a good mood. But I kinda ruined it by having to puke. He asked me what was wrong and it just kinda came out."

"So just let it out when he cones home. He'll understand and love you no matter what."

"Thanks, Brainless. You might not be so brainless after all."

I smile at her and say,"here. I brought these for you. Mix these in your tea, chew on these when you feel nauseous, and place these around your house. They'll help you with the soothing smell."

She nods and gets up to brush her teeth. She yawns and crawls back in bed. Then she pats the side next to her and says,"c'mon. Hurry up and turn off that light."

I lay down next to her and do as she says.

Then we both fall asleep.

When I wake up, it's to the noise of Aspen running into the room. Johanna is dead to the world, so I get up and pick him up.

"Hi, Aspen."

"Hi, Auntie Kat."

"Are you hungry?"

He nods and I say,"okay, we'll get you breakfast."

"What 'bout mama?"he asks.

"She's sleeping."I say.

As I walk down the hall, the second one comes. He asks the same things and I answer them, then pick him up too. After I get them settled with eating, I go to check on Johanna. She's still asleep.

A few hours later, Johanna wakes up as the boys and I are playing a game. She eats breakfast and then comes to sit with us.

"Where daddy go?" Aaron asks.

"He had to go to the capitol for a little. He'll be back in a few days."

"Otay,"Aspen answers for his brother.

After I see that the herbs I gave her are working, I let her be. I promise to check up on her though. I make my way to the bakery where I see people just crooning around Willow.

Peeta happily holds her and his face lights up when he sees me.

"Mama!"I hear Willow say.

"Hi baby girl! I missed you,"I say taking her from Peeta.

"She missed you too, this morning."

"Aww,"I say and kiss her forehead.

"I also missed you,"Peeta says kissing me.

"I'm sorry, but I needed to take care of her."

"How is she doing?"

"Better now that I gave her herbs."

"Does she know what she has?"

"Morning sickness."

"Wait, isn't that only when you're pregnant?"

"Yup."

"So she's pregnant?"

"Yup."

"Wow! That's great!" He says as he rests his head on my shoulder.

"Are you ready to close up?"I ask.

"Yeah."

"Good, I'm really tired."

"Okay."He says.

After closing the bakery, we go home where I end up falling asleep in Peeta's arms.


	48. Terrible nightmares

Katniss pov

Summer is upon us. I hate when it first becomes hot at first because I can't cuddle with Peeta. For like the first week we can't even touch each other. We ditch all our blankets and clothes and that's how we sleep. Of course it doesn't bother Peeta. He loves to run his fingers over my scars.

After I walk out of the bathroom, I instantly strip down to nothing. Then I stand in front of the window feeling the breeze. The window faces and empty house so no one can see me.

"What are you doing?"Peeta asks when he walks in.

"I'm cooling off,"I say.

He walks up behind me and runs his hands over my hips. I turn around and kiss him on the lips, wrapping my arms around his neck. I run my fingers through his hair and find that they are sweaty and matted.

"You're sweaty,"I say against his lips.

He laughs and says,"I've been working around the ovens all day. I'm sweaty."

I unbutton his shirt and take it off. He helps me with his under shirt and then puts all his clothes in the hamper. He lays on the bed and spreads out with his hands behind his head.

"It's really hot!"he says.

"Yes, and move over, you're hogging up the bed."

He rolls over so I can crawl in bed with him. Then he opens his arms to me and I cuddle with him.

* * *

I wake because of a nightmare and find Peeta gasping in his sleep. He shoots up and grabs his leg. He falls out of bed and starts grasping for anything he can. He's freaking out and flails on the floor.

"Peeta!"I say jumping to the ground and trying to calm him, only it does nothing. I place my hands on his head and use my legs to hold down his arms. "Peeta! Peeta look at me!"I say to him.

His eyes are wide and its like a flashback, but he's not attacking me, he's just freaking out. "Peeta, please calm down,"I say and hold him tightly. He tries to get out of my reach and does. He backs up to the wall and pulls his legs to his chest. I watch as he rocks back and forth.

Slowly I reach out to him and say,"Peeta, calm down. Please."

I slowly crawl to him as he cries into his knees. Then I hold him and allow him to cry into my chest as I rock him back and forth.

"Shhhh, it's alright, it's alright,"I say to him. He starts to calm down finally and then looks at me.

"Katniss, I-I-I..."

"Shhhh, you don't have to speak,"I say to him.

I kiss him on the forehead and then the neck and shoulder. He leans against me and I lean my head on his. I hold him like a child. I've never had to comfort him in a way that he was in my arms like a child.

"I love you,"he says quietly.

"I love you too."

I take a look at his leg and notice that it's red and swollen. I get up and run into the bathroom and find a cream that is meant to help his leg when it gets swollen and red like this.

I kneel down by his legs and rub the cream on it. He sighs in relief as I do this. Then I help him back in bed and cuddle with him. I wipe the tears from his face and kiss him. Then I whisper I love yous into his ear.

The next morning when I wake up, Peeta isn't in bed. I get up and go to the bathroom to find him in the tub. He doesn't even look at me. His eyes are closed and his head is leaning against the edge of it.

I strip down and sink into the tub straight across from him. This tub really is big! He opens his eyes and looks at me. I give him a sad smile and ask,"how's your leg?"

"It's still pretty red and swollen,"he sighs.

I put my hand on the end of it and rub it lightly. I massage it for him before I move to lay with him. His lips find my neck as his arms find my waist. "What happened last night?" I ask.

"I don't know..." He said,"I just had a terrible nightmare and panicked. It caused a flashback, but it was like a different type of flashback. And my leg, something happened to it because it's never been this bad except for when I hurt it falling off the roof."

That is a memory I don't want to remember.

_"Mind if I join you?"_

_"Not at all"I say as he climbs out. He sits next to me and sets his arm on my shoulder. I lean into him and instantly I start to get sleepy. He kisses my nose and says"you're right,it is very nice out here"_

_"Mmmhmmm"I say pushing my face into his chest. He asks"are you getting sleepy again?"_

_"You bring it with you"I joke_

_He goes to get up but a split second before it happens,I notice that his prosthetic leg is kinda weird,and that's when he falls. I go to catch him but I'm too late and he's laying flat on the ground. I bolt for the window and fly down the stairs to him._

_'Please tell me you're okay!' I think to myself._

_"Peeta!"I gasp as he still lays there. Tears fall onto his face and his eyes open up. He then scrunches them close in pain. "Are you okay? Let me get haymitch!"_

_"No,no I'm okay,I can sit up. It's just my back kinda hurts and my leg,my leg mainly hurts."_

_I look down at his leg and see that part of his prosthetic is still attached to his leg while half of it broke off. "Peeta your leg,well your fake leg broke!"_

_"Shit"he says looking at his leg._

_"Hold on"I say and run into the house. There's no way that I can pick him up but I can push him. I run into the office and grab the chair with wheels. I roll it out to him and then I tell him"here,I'm going to help you into this and take you to the hospital."_

_"Okay fine"he says and I somehow manage to get him up._

_I quickly wheel him to the hospital and when I get inside I ask the lady if we could get him in._

"Do we need to get it checked out?"

"No. I'm fine." Is all he says before he gets up and walks out. I sigh, wanting Peeta to stop acting so defensive. I really hope nothing's wrong with him.


	49. Venomous infections

Katniss pov

After a week of Peeta acting weird, I decide that I'm fed up with his behavior. I call Haymitch and Gale and ask them for some help. Peeta is sitting at his desk sketching when they come. They come up behind him along with me.

"Oh, hey guys-"

They lung forward and tie him to the chair.

"WHAT THE FUCK!"he yells as they do so. "KATNISS!"

"I'm so sorry, honey,"I say,"but you need to go to the hospital. I love you so much and I want you to get checked out. For Willow, and for me. Please stop struggling and let us take you."

"Katniss, please don't make me do this."

"I'm sorry Peeta, but I'm scared for your health. I didn't want to have to do this to you, but Peeta, you've been acting so weird. I'm sorry, but I'm doing this because I love you so much, and I want you to be the Peeta that I love, not the snapping, angry, short tempered, pained Peeta. But I promise that I will stay with you the whole time."

He sighs and looks down. Tears are in both of our eyes. Then with a nod given to Haymitch and Gale, they start to wheel him. "Let me get Willow,"I say to them. I run to the play pin and pick up Willow. She reaches out to my so I hold her closer.

Then we all go to the hospital. The nurse looks very confused when she sees Peetatied up to the chair. However she does get us back almost instantly. Then Dr. Cano, the doctor who helped them last time comes in.

"Hello, Mr and Mrs Mellark, I am Dr. Cano. I see there are some more problems. I'm assuming it's the leg?"

"Not completely,"I say,"Peeta has been acting weird, it started with a nightmare and his leg has been hurting but he wouldn't let me help him. From then he's just been acting weird. I was worried and he wouldn't even let me take him in. As you can see, we had to tie him up. I'm just so worried."

"Well, I'm first going to look at his leg. I have forms that you need to fill out first. But I will be back soon to take you onto a separate area. Let me get an actual wheelchair. He hands Peeta the forms and then leaves.

As Peeta fills them out I notice that he his having a hard time writing. "Do you want me to fill it out for you?" I ask.

"Yes,"he says sighing.

"Okay, any history of heart problems, cancer or stroke in your family?"

"Cancer"

"Have you ever broken a bone?"

"Yes."

"Have you ever had any type of disease that infects the liver, lungs, or heart?"

"No."

"Are you a virgin-obviously not, you have a kid."

"Do you have any STD's, HIV, OR AID's?"

"Nope!"

After many questions, the Dr. Comes back in and takes Peeta to a different place. I wait out in the waiting room with Haymitch and Gale. Willow wiggles in my arms and sucks on her thumb. She's the only one keeping me calm right now.

After a very long half an hour, I'm called back.

Peeta isn't there when they call me and I panic and Haymitch has Willow, so I don't have her to calm me down.

"Where's Peeta?!"

"Please calm down, Mrs. Mellark. He is in a room right now. I brought you back here so I can discuss his condition... first, his leg. It appears that he has an infection on the end of it, and its very inflamed. It could be from numerous reasons, like overworking himself is most likely the cause, if he has been on his leg for too long or was doing too much, it could cause cuts and rashes and even infection. Another reason is not cleaning his leg well enough, especially his scar tissue. It could also be from a simple cut getting infected. I understand Peeta runs the bakery, which is why I suspect the first one. The next thing will explain why he's been acting weird. It appears that the infection that his body is trying so hard to fight, is causing his body to not fight or I should say contain the venom still in him. So slowly, without antibiotics, his venom was coming out more and more and getting in his blood stream. If we didn't catch it soon enough, it would have caused him to slowly convert back to that hijacked state, which is very harmful for all three of you. So I'm putting him on antibiotics so that his body won't have to work as hard to fight the infection and can contain the venom, if that doesn't help and he does end up in his hijacked state again, that means he would have to go to the capitol for a highly dangerous procedure that will take the venom from his brain. I really hope it doesn't come down to that because there are possibilities of him not remembering you or your child. And I don't want that to happen. So hopefully that will help. We are going to refit his prosthetic, and give you a healing cream that will need to be rubbed into his leg every night. Any questions?"

"Can I go see my husband?"

"Of course."

He leads me to the room Peeta is. He is on some drugs so he isn't really that into everything. I kiss his forehead and then rest mine against his. He smiles at me and says,"you're so so so beautiful!"

I smile at him and run my fingers through his hair. I really hope they can help him. give him a quick kiss before getting Haymitch and Gale. After signing papers and going to the pharmacy, we finally get home where I let him rest. And that night, I can't sleep. So I watch him sleep and pray that this works. For Willow, for me.


	50. presidential calls

Katniss pov

Since Peeta doesn't have his leg, he's back in his wheel chair. I attempt to cook as he plays with Willow on the floor. She is standing at the coffee table playing with her cars as Peeta sits next to her playing with her. Know that she's learned to walk, or should I say more of run, she's been more trouble.

I have to baby proof everything or else she gets into it if I'm not looking. One day I turned to fold up blankets, and she ran into Peeta's studio and got into his paints. It was a mess! And another time she almost got my arrows.

I start to crack eggs when I hear Peeta say,"uh, Katniss, she's running down the hall!"

I quickly run after her and scoop her up from behind. She finds this funny and let's out a shrill laugh. I nuzzle her with my nose and say,"you think that's funny don't you?"

"No."

That seems to be her favorite word lately.

"You ran away from daddy,"I say and tickle her.

"No!"

"You're a silly girl. Lets go back to daddy,"I say

"Daddy!"she exclaims.

I set her back where she was and help Peeta into his wheelchair.

"You should probably sit in here, because if she runs again you can race after her."

"But where's the fun in that? I don't get to see you run."

I roll my eyes and then lean in to kiss him. Then I go back to the kitchen and finish up breakfast. As I'm putting it onto plates, I feel something bump into my leg. I look over my shoulder to see Willow sitting on the floor looking up at me with curious eyes. I smile and pick her up and place her on my hip.

I let her 'help' me bring food to the table and then call to Peeta. He wheels in and sits next to me. The breakfast isn't the best, but Peeta tells me it tastes good. I can't help but roll my eyes.

Willow makes a mess of her food so I have to clean her high chair. She ends up spilling her juice all over herself too. I take her to the bathroom and start to give her a bath. Peeta is right behind me and talks to me as I wash her.

I hand her to Peeta to dry and dress her as I clean up the kitchen. I'm in the kitchen when the the phone rings.

"Hello?"

"Hello Mrs Mellark."

"Madame President,"I say.

"It's come to my attention that Peeta will be needing to come to the capitol for refitting of his prosthetic."

"I thought they could do it here?"

"I'm afraid not.I will be temporarily lifting your restriction on district twelve for five days. It should only take a couple of days, but I was also wondering if the two of you would give a speech at the upcoming event. It's the 10th anniversary of no games, I figured that if you chose to give a speech, I'd lift your restrictions. The speeches would let Panem see you healing. Seeing you healed will help convince the board that you are better. They would allow you to not have your restriction. I understand that you have family in Four?"

"Yes."

"Well, I'm not going to force you like Snow would, but it's something to think about. You can call me anytime you want. And when you're in the capitol, I would love to speak with you myself."

"Okay."

"I hope to see you soon, and send Mr. Mellark my best regards."

"Will do."

I sink to the floor and cry into my knees. I hear the pitter patter of little feet running towards me, but I don't look up. She stops right in front of me and says,"mommy?"

I look up to see that she is only in her towel. She ran from Peeta. My little nudist. I can't help but laugh at this. Peeta rolls in laughing,"she ran away from me! She-what's wrong?"

"We have to go back to the capitol for your leg,"I cry,"and they want us to make a speech at the tenth anniversary, because if we do, my restrictions will be lifted forever."

"Katniss, I think it would be good to do that. Then we would be able to go wherever. We could take Willow to see so many places, and we'll tell President Paylor that we will give the speech, then leave. We won't stay for the festivities."

I nod, but im still scared.

Peeta slides off his chair and onto the floor with me. He brings me into his arms and holds me as I cry. That's when I hear the door open and Haymitch say,"Whoa! Naked baby on the loose!"

He comes into the kitchen with Willow wrapped in her towel and says,"I believe this is yours. You should probably keep a closer watch on her. She could be mooning the world right now!"

I let out a small laugh and Haymitch says,"I'm guessing President Paylor called you?"

"Yes."

"And what did you choose?"

"We're doing the speech."

"I figured that, so it looks like we're going to the capitol, huh?"

"We? Haymitch-"

"Stop right there, sweetheart. I'm not going to let the two of you go that without me. Especially not the capitol."

"Thank you, Haymitch."

"Should I call Paylor?"

I nod, and he gets up and walks to the phone.

I stand up and go change Willow. When I come back Peeta is back in his chair and says,"we should start packing."

"Why?"

"The train is coming tomorrow."

"Okay,"I say. My voice sounds weak and faint.

"Katniss,"Peeta says,"I promise to not leave you. And if I have to, then you will have Willow with you. A piece of me."

"Always."


	51. on the train

A/N I'm gonna rant real quick. An author on here who had a good story that I read, blocked me because I tried to tell them that there was an announcement about the name of the kids of Katniss and Peeta! If any of you read Hunter by Belle A Lestrange, I suggest you still read if for it is a good story, but keep in mind that this author is obviously not open to suggestions or helpful criticism and will block you if you do so.

Katniss pov

Willow is being difficult this morning. She won't stay still so I can put her clothes on and she doesn't want to leave. I don't blame her. I don't want to leave either. "Please, Willow! We have to do this! Now sit still so mommy can put on your clothes and we can go. I don't want to go either!"

"No!"she screams.

"Willow Primrose Mellark!"

"No wanna go!"

"Stay still!"

"Katniss?" Peeta says from the door.

"I'm having trouble."

"Here, let me help." He says.

He walks with his crutches over to Willow and sits down on the bed. "Willow, you need to stand still so mommy can put on your clothes."

"But I no wanna go,"she says with a pout.

"I know and neither do I or mommy, but we have to go. If we do, then I can get my leg and then we can go see grandma and Aunt Annie. Don't you want to do that?"

She nods.

"Okay. Then you need to stand still so I can put on your clothes."

She nods again and this time she allows Peeta to help her get dressed. "How do you do it?"I ask.

"Do what?"

"You're such a natural with her."

"It's all just patience."

I grab all the bags and Haymitch comes and helps me. We board the train and find that we have a whole cart to ourselves. It causes me to think of the victory tour and going to the games.

* * *

Haymitch plays with Willow as I disappear to our room. I go run into the closet and close the door. I hear the cluncking of Peeta walking into the room. He opens the closet and sees me on the floor crying.

"Katniss,"he says,"what's wrong?"

"It's nothing,"I say.

"Normally I'd pick you up, but I can't. So will you come with me to the bed?"

"Yes."

I get up and go to the bed where Peeta lays. I curl up to him and he asks again,"what's wrong?"

"I'm scared."

"You don't have to be scared. I'm here, I won't leave your side. I love you."

"Know you won't, but I'm still scared."

"They can't and won't do anything to us. We're free now. Willow is free too. We're safe."

"I love you, Peeta."

"I love you too."

Peeta pov

Eventually Katniss falls asleep in my arms. I get up, careful not to wake her up. She hasn't gotten very much sleep lately. She deserves a good night's sleep. I make my way to the main part of the cart where Haymitch sits on the couch with Willow asleep against him.

I lift her carefully and lay her against my shoulder. I drop one crutch so I can hold her but still walk. "Thank you for watching her while I calmed down Katniss,"I say quietly.

"Figured that this would happen." He says gruffly.

"I'm afraid I'm going to have a flashback when we get there."

"Make sure Katniss is holding your hand. It could help stop it. Don't worry Peeta, we'll make sure Willow is safe."

I look at the sleep girl in my arms. She really looks like Katniss while she sleeping. She makes that same face that Katniss makes when she sleeps. I move hair out of her face and kiss her forehead lightly.

"She looks just like her, and acts like her too," Haymitch comments.

"Yeah, I was just thinking that."

"She's a stubborn little thing too. She wouldn't let me do anything until I played with her."

"Sounds like her mom,"I say and we chuckle quietly.

She stirs and I hear her say,"Daddy." When I look down again, I am met with eyes that match my own. She blinks and yawns.

"Hi, pumpkin."

She sits up and looks around confused. "Are you tired?"I ask her.

She nods.

"Wanna go lay with mommy? She's asleep in the room."

"Okay."

I take her into the room and lay her down with Katniss, who is still asleep. I kiss both of their foreheads before leaving. I go and sit next to Haymitch. "You know Peeta, you're a great husband and father. Don't ever doubt yourself."

"Thank you Haymitch. You make a great grandpa for Willow. You're the only one who could ever fill in that shoe and I'm grateful. You would have been a wonderful father."

"Thank you, Peeta."

"Do you think about them?"I ask.

"All the time. Mostly when I watch you with Willow. It makes me think of what could have been. And when I see you and Katniss, it reminds me of us."

"What was she like?"

"She was very sweet. A merchant girl, she was very beautiful and loved to use flowers to make lotion. She always had a nice thing to say. She was very positive. I miss her everyday."

A tear rolls down his face and I go to apologize but he cuts me off saying,"just cherish what you have, and always tell her you love her."

"I will. I always will."

With that we say goodnight.

I go into the room and crawl into bed, Willow is in between Katniss and I. As I pull the blanket over me, Katniss stirs and looks at me.

"Hey,"she whispers.

"Hey."

She looks at Willow who curled up against her. I move closer to kiss Katniss and put my arms around both my girls. "I love you so much, I'll never leave you."

"Always,"she finishes.

A/N on a happy note, I'd like to thank everyone who reviewed because you guys got me to my new years resolution! This story is officially at 201 reviews! Thank you so much! Now let's get to 300! Love you my faithful readers!


	52. arriving

A/N yay! We are at chapter 50! I want to thank all of you for staying with this story! I love all my faithful readers and I can't wait to write so many more chapters! Thank you again for not only staying with this story, but also giving it over 200 reviews and over 100 follows.

Katniss pov

The train gets to the capitol early in the morning. It's 4:28 in the morning. Peeta wakes me up and tells me the train has come to a stop. Haymitch is very grumpy as we get off of it. Willow is in my arms, asleep against my shoulder. I kiss her forehead and lean my head against hers. It's rather cold, so I get a blanket from a bag and cover her with it.

The hotel we're staying at is called,"The Cove," they made sure it was close to the hospital but far from the training center. Haymitch has a room right next to ours. There is a door that connects the two rooms. This is one of the less 'capitol style' hotels. It has a homey feel to it. Like a mixture between lodge and ocean.

I'm exhausted even though I was just sleeping. I lay Willow in the middle of one of the two beds in the room. I tuck her in and kiss her on the forehead. She is so precious when she sleeps. I wish I had no worries like her.

I look over to Peeta who is snoring. I climb into bed with him and snuggle up to him. When I wake, it's to a phone ringing. It's Paylor.

"Hello Madame President,"I say.

"Good morning, Mrs. Mellark. I am calling to make sure your trip was safe and that you made it to your hotel room with no problems."

"No, no problems at all."

"Good. So it is to my understanding that you two will be going to get the leg fitting later this morning and tomorrow will be the venom treatment. A few of my guards will be sent to escort you and your family everywhere you will need to go while you are here. Thursday will be your speech at one. I do hope you stay for the festivities, it really is a great celebration."

"I'm sorry, but I don't believe we will stay for much longer after the speech."

"That is understandable. What they did to you is unforgivable and unforgettable. I can see why you wouldn't want to stay. I hope you have a good stay. And the hotel, I hope you like it. I chose it personally. I thought it would be better than the more modern capitol ones."

"Yes, it was a perfect call. Thank you."

"I will see you then. Send Peeta my best wishes."

"I will."

After hanging up the phone, I hear Peeta groan and roll over. I lay next to him and say,"good morning, handsome."

"Good morning, beautiful."

I lean in and kiss him on the nose. We have a big day ahead,"I say. He moves a strand of hair from my face.

"Only three more days left."

"They can't go by fast enough,"I say.

"I hope they go by fast. I already miss sleeping in my own bed." He says.

I agree and say,"when we get home, I'm going to make love to you in our bed."

"I'd like that,"he says with a smirk. Willow is still asleep, so I straddle his lap and kiss him fiercely. Right as we start to really get into it, there's a persistent knock on the door connecting the rooms between Haymitch and us.

I groan as I roll off of him and open the door.

"It's about time!"he says.

I roll my eyes and he says,"are you ready?"

"Peeta just woke up, we'll meet you down at breakfast. I have to wake up Willow and get her dressed."

Haymitch gets Peeta's wheelchair and helps him into it. I wake up Willow and get her dressed. Then we all go down to eat breakfast. After, we are greeted by the two guards Paylor was talking about. They take Peeta and I to the hospital while Haymitch watches Willow.

I hold Peeta's hand the whole car ride. I can tell he is very nervous. He keeps bouncing his leg. He only does that when he's board or nervous. I bring his hand to my lips and kiss his knuckles.

He squeezes my hand and gives me a smile. I lean into him and say,"they're going to take care of you. They're going to help you." I don't know if it's more reassuring to him or I?

We soon arrive at the hospital. It's four times the size of the one in twelve. The white walls take me back to a place I never want to go back to. When they take him to a place I can't go, I break down. I sit there in the waiting room crying until I hear a familiar voice.

"Katniss?"

I look to see Effie.

"Effie!"I cry out and hug her. She allows me to cry into her shoulder and she explains that she heard we were coming and had to find us. She makes me feel so much better with her presence.

I show her pictures of Willow and she coos over how big she's gotten.

"I promise that I will visit you when I can! I miss you guys so much, I even miss Haymitch."

"I miss you too,"I say.

I tell her about the agreement between Paylor and she is ecstatic to know that my ban will be lifted.

"That's such wonderful news, you deserve to live your life Katniss. If any two people deserve to live a long and happy life, it's you and Peeta."

"Thank you, Effie. For all that you've done."

"You'll always be my Victors."

That's when I hear my name called, and I see them wheeling out Peeta."


	53. Ifs, tips, and slips

A/N I'd like to apologize because I haven't really been on my updating game because I had a very busy and shitty week.

Katniss pov

I run to Peeta and kiss him. He hugs me to him. The nurse wheeling him out allows me to take him. I hear him gasp as he sees Effie. I wheel him over to her and I hear him say her name and he takes her hand and kisses it.

"It's so great to see you dear!"she says.

"I've missed you, Effie,"he says.

"Oh I've missed you both so much,"she says.

"Do you have anything today? Because I would love for you to see Willow, and I'm sure even Haymitch misses you."

"Oh I would love to see them!"she says excitedly.

We make our way back to the hotel where Haymitch and Willow wait. Peeta explains what the doctor said about his leg and prosthetic. We should have it tomorrow, but he will also be in there to get the venom therapy.

It's going to be a hard day tomorrow.

Effie squeals when she sees Willow.

"She's gotten so big!" She says,"and wow she looks so much like you, Katniss! But definitely Peeta's eyes."

"She totally acts like her stubborn mom," Haymitch says.

"She even has her scowl." Peeta says.

I glare at him and he says,"exactly that one!"

Effie tells us of the beautiful places to visit while in the capitol and also tells us that she will be escorting us tomorrow, like old times. As I feed Willow, I can't help but notice such a chemistry between Haymitch and Effie. I think Peeta sees it too.

That night after Effie leaves, Haymitch goes to his room, and Willow is asleep in Peeta's arms, who is also asleep on the couch, I call Johanna.

"Hey Brainless!"she says,"I haven't heard from you in so long! How's your 'trip'?"

"Terrifying."

"I can imagine. What's happened? What have they said about his leg?"

"He's getting his new one tomorrow, but they're also taking him to take out the venom tomorrow. I'm so scared."

"I know, but you have to let them do this. It will be better for him. He won't have as much flashbacks. It will keep you and Willow safe. I know Peeta usually has good control of his flashbacks and he usually can stop himself from hurting you, but the one day he won't, he'll never forgive himself. So this will be better. It's worth it."

"I know,"I sigh.

"How is Peeta doing?"

"He seems to be fine with all of this. But the worst part hasn't happened yet, so I don't know how fine he really is."

"Can I talk to lover boy?"

"He's actually asleep right now. It's really cute, Willow is asleep in his arms and he's asleep on the couch."

"That teddy bear!"

I cove my mouth with my hand as I laugh, careful not to wake anyone.

"How are the kids?"I ask.

"They're fine. They're both asleep right now. And Gale is of course worried about you guys."

"Well, send them my love,"I say.

"I will,"she says,"when do you guys get back?"

"In a couple of days. Right after the speech we are leaving."

"Well, at least after all of this, you'll have your freedom."

"Yeah, which reminds me. After this, we're heading down to four to see my mom and Annie and Finn. I was wondering if you wanted to meet us there. It will probably be in three days because tomorrow we'll be here, then the next day is the anniversary, and later that night we'll arrive in four."

"That sounds nice, I'll talk to Gale."

"Okay."

"It would be nice to see Annie and Finn again. And your mom is always really nice, so I look forward to that."

"Yeah, I know my mom definitely misses Willow."

"I miss her too and its only been two days!"She says,"God damn it! One of the kids woke up and it's not so pretty, I'll see you soon."

"Okay, bye Johanna."

After hanging up, I go and lay down next to Peeta. I don't intend on falling asleep, but I end up sleeping anyways. When I wake up again, I realize that Willow is tucked in, and I'm laying in bed with Peeta.

Wow, he moved us by himself while in his wheelchair! I lean up and kiss him on the cheek, then curl back into his side. I feel his strong arms wrap around me and pull me closer to him.

He kisses the top of my head and says,"good morning beautiful."

"Morning."

"We have a big day today."He sighs.

"I know..."I sigh.

He kisses me, ignoring my morning breath, then he hops to the bathroom and shuts the door. Right as I'm about to get comfortable, I hear a bang and a groan.

I run as fast as I can to the bathroom where I find Peeta laying on the tile next to the bathtub. His head is bleeding just a little bit. "What happened?"I ask as I start to help him.

"I slipped and fell, hitting my head on the tub."

I get a wet rag and clean is cut. Then I help him into the bath. I help him get undressed and then get undressed myself. I climb into the tub with him and start the water. It's warmth feels perfect on my cold skin, along with the warmth coming from Peeta's body against my back.

His arms wrap around me and he holds me as I lean back against him. I eventually fall asleep in his arms and wake when he starts to scrub my body. When the water has turned cold, we get out and I help Peeta to his chair.

When all of us are dressed, we meet Haymitch and then go to the hospital.


	54. venom treatment

Katniss pov

I'm taken to a room with Peeta and Willow. Haymitch has decided to go to a bar down town. I hold Peeta's hand and hold Willow closely to me. She plays with my braid as I squeeze his hand. He kisses it and says,"it's going to be alright."

I lean over and kiss him passionately. He pulls away after a little while but keeps his forehead to mine. "I love you so much, Katniss."

"I love you too."

"And I love you too, Willow,"he says and kisses her head.

"Daddy!" She reaches over to him and I hand her to him so he can hold her. She starts to play with his hair too, and then blows kisses to him. He does the same back to her.

That's when the doctor comes in.

"Hello, I'm doctor Jolene Homes,"she says and smiles at us."You must be Mr. and Mrs. Mellark. And I'm guessing this is your daughter?"

"Yes, I'm Peeta, this is my wife Katniss, and this is Willow, our daughter."

"Oh, she is such an adorable baby! I know who you are, I was a big supporter of the rebellion. I was inspired by your hijacking, to go into this study. It's a huge honor to treat you."

"Oh, thank you,"Peeta says kind of quietly.

"So first I am going to ask you a few questions. How often do you have flashbacks?"

"Not very often. They got better, especially since we've had Willow."

"What usually sets them off?"

"Blood, beating, places, phrases, ...Katniss."

"How do you deal with it?"

"I usually tell her to run and I will tie myself to a chair, run to Haymitch's house, or hold onto a chair."

"Okay. I'll be doing a blood test on you, and then we will be getting you to the treatment center."

"Okay."

"I'll be back in a few."She says before leaving.

Peeta squeezes my hand and tells me it will be alright.

"I love you."

"I love you too, Katniss."

When the doctor returns, she takes Peeta and I back to a different room. I take a seat on the plastic chair in the corner and watch as she runs her tests and does her treatments.

She sticks needles into his arms and draws blood. She goes to her computer and types in a bunch of words, not stopping to look down once. She leaves and then returns with a bag of blood. The sight is sickening to me. This room is sickening.

She has Peeta lay back and connects an IV into his arm.

"Okay, Mr. Mellark, I am going to inject you with type of medicine that will clear the poison from your system. You will start to feel light headed, which is normal because you will be losing blood. That is why I have blood. You will have your blood replaced with this because of the blood lose. It's okay if you pass out, and you might throw up. Mrs. Mellark, this will be hard to watch, so I recommend that you wait in the waiting room."

"I'm not leaving his side."

"Okay, suit yourself." She says.

A few nurses come in and help her hook him up to a machine as she fills it will the treatment. I take is hand in mine and look into his beautiful eyes. He smiles at me and then closes his eyes, taking a deep breath.

"Okay, 3...2...1."

The medicine starts to pump into his veins. He bites his lip and squeezes his eyes.

"Is he in pain?"I ask urgently.

"It does burn."

I hold onto Willow tighter and continue to watch Peeta. After a few minutes, she stops the machine and starts up another. This one is filled with blood. She moves the needle to his leg and starts up the process again. I wipe sweat from his forehead and lace my fingers with his again.

Tears roll down his face and he becomes pale. He tries to take deep breaths but they come out shaky. I kiss his hand and wipe the tears. After an hour of periodically doing this process, it's done.

"You'll want to make sure he rests for a couple of hours. He needs to eat a few times too. If any reactions happen, make sure he comes in. This medicine will help with the nausea and fatigue. Have him take 2 tablets when he's feeling sick,"she tells me.

"Thank you,"I say to her.

I take Peeta back to the hotel and make sure that he is laying in the bed. I place Willow in the play pin for her nap before setting out to find Haymitch. I walk down the streets of the capitol looking for a bar called "The Rusty Ship."

When I walk in, a few heavy set bikers give me a look that makes me want to shoot arrows into their eyes. I'm bumped around as I try to weave through the people. I find Haymitch sitting at the bar drinking a drink that looks like tea, only I know better.

"Haymitch! There you are. I've been looking for you!"

"Oh hey sweetheart,"he slurs.

"How much have you had?"I ask.

"I don't know..5-20."

"Is she yours?"a man sitting next to him asks, looking me up and down.

"No!"I say annoyed.

"Are you anyone's? Because if you aren't I'd love to see that ass of yours in action."

"You are so lucky I don't have my bow, if I did you would be dead right now, you wouldn't see my 'ass in action', fucker!"

"So feisty, I like it,"he says.

"C'mon Haymitch," I say.

"Yeah! Walk away so I can watch you!"the perv says. I turn around and sock him right in the nose causing him to yell in pain as the blood rushes down his face. Haymitch starts to laugh as we walk away. My hand is covered in blood.

When we get back to the hotel, Peeta is asleep in the bed but Willow is awake and playing with a toy in her play pin. I have Haymitch sit down and I go to wake up Peeta to see if he's hungry.

"What happened to your hand?"he asks.

"I punched perv. I'm okay, but he's not. But don't worry about me, are you feeling sick? You need to eat."

"I feel fine, I'm just hungry."

"Okay, I'll go get you some food,"I say before calling room service.

After we eat, I find that Haymitch has fallen asleep, Peeta has fallen asleep, and eventually Willow goes to sleep. So I try to get as much sleep as Possible. I'll need it if I'll survive tomorrow.

A/N I'm sorry for taking so long. If I get 20 reviews I'll update asap


	55. The anniversary pt 1

Katniss pov

I wake to a knock on our door. I look to see that Haymitch is still passed out on the couch and Peeta is asleep next to me. I wrap a robe around me and answer the door. A few guards stand at the door.

"Hello, Mrs Mellark. I am Solider Frasier, and this is Solider Johnson." One man says,"we will be escorting you today. We came by early to make sure that everything is going smoothly for you. President Paylor asked us for an update on Peeta's condition."

"Hello, everything has been fine and Peeta is perfectly fine."

"We will report that to her. And we will also be returning around 1:00."

"Okay, thank you."

They nod to me and then leave. I shut the door and go to the bathroom. I start up a bath and drop the robe and then my underwear. The water feels nice around my skin as I sink down. I don't even remember falling asleep until I hear Peeta walk in.

"Good morning, beautiful."

"Peeta,"I say yawning. He smiles at me and holds out a towel. I stand up and walk forward so he can wrap it around me. He kisses my cheek and says,"I woke up and you weren't there."

"Did you get a lot of sleep? How do you feel?"

"Yes I did, and I feel better. I'm really hungry though."

"We can call for some food. Two guards came by and talked to me about when they're coming. They said 1:00. We still have a few hours."

"Okay."

Peeta sits on the couch with a still asleep Haymitch. He turns on the tv to the news. A reporter with blue-violet hair stands in front of a parade that is going on. She continues to talk about the celebrations going on today.

"The 10th anniversary is finally here! Ten years of being free of Snow's reign! Many exciting activities will be happening today. The first one being the parade that is going on right behind me. Thousands of people have gathered around to see this today. It looks like right now the tribute to district twelves victors Katniss and Peeta Mellark seems to be the most popular one."

They show a parade float that looks like the two chariots we rode in for the tribute parade. Four people dressed like Peeta and I are in them waving.

"Later today, Katniss and Peeta will be here giving a speech. This will be the first anniversary they've attended. Other popular victors are also said to be here. One of them being Annie Odair, formerly known as Annie Cresta, and she will be with her son Finn Odair as they give a tribute to husband and father, Finnick Odair. Another favorite we hope to see is Johanna Mason. We hope to see her. She hasn't attended any of them before and actually we don't have any news on how she has been since the war, but we still hope to see her."

"Ah, yes,"says Cesar Flickerman appearing on the tv. "You cancatch all of the victors tonight on the Cesar Flickerman Show for exclusive interviews, at 7."

Peeta looks to me confused. I look straight at him with the same expression. I walk over to the phone and call Paylor for some explanation.

"Hello, Mrs Mellark."She greets.

"What is this about an exclusive interview?"

"Oh, yes, every year the victors have an interview with Ceased Flickerman after the festivities. It's a mandatory thing."

"You didn't tell us about this. You didn't tell us about any 'mandatory' things."

"You didn't ask. I expect you two to be there if you would like to have your exile lifted." With that she ends the call. I sigh and lean up against the wall. Peeta gets up and wraps his arms around me.

"Don't worry, we'll be okay." He says in my ear.

I press a kiss to his chest and then go to check on Willow. She sits playing with her toy happily.

"Hi baby girl!"I say picking her up.

"Mama!" She says.

I kiss her head and then sit her in her feeding chair and give her some cut up fruit and yogurt. It's so funny watching her feed herself with a spoon. Peeta stares at the tv as he eats his food. He has a somber look on his face.

"What are they talking about now?"I ask.

"They're talking about the tribute to Finnick and Mags...and the one for Prim."

I look over at the tv and hear,"-the tribute to Finnick Odair and Mags will be showcased today. Along with the tribute to the sister of Katniss Everdeen Mellark, Primrose Everdeen. She died by a bomb-"I turn it off and sit down on the couch next to Peeta. He wraps his arms around me and pulls me into him as I cry.

There's a long list of tributes that are going to shown. So many people that I have an involvement in their deaths. Peeta rocks me back and forth in his arms and says,"shhh, it's okay."

"No, it's not! Prim isn't here!"I cry.

I feel a tear roll down his cheek and onto my tear streaked face. "She's always here,"I hear him say. "She's always here."

Haymitch stands and says,"this is gonna be a shitty day."

When I look at the time, I realize to get ready. I dress in jeans and top, I don't want to wear anything fancy. Peeta is also wearing normal clothes. I dress Willow in a dress that my mom got her.

Peeta answers the door when the the two soldiers, Fraiser and Johnson, come to pick us up. They have a car seat set up for Willow in the car. I am seated next to Peeta in the car. He holds me the whole ride. When we arrive, we are greeted by chaos.


	56. The anniversary pt 2

Katniss pov

As we step out of the car, thousands of people scream and cheer. Peeta grips my shoulder. His arm is around me, protecting Willow and I. He kisses my cheek and says that he loves me. "Don't worry, I won't let anything happen to you."

"I know,"I say.

We are taken to the mansion where Paylor greets us.

"Mr. and Mrs. Mellark, Mr. Abernathy, it's a pleasure to see you two again."

"Madame President,"we reply,"it's our honor."

Peeta shakes her hand and then she shakes mine, and then Haymitch's. "If you follow Soldier Frasier, he'll lead you to the dinning hall where all the other rebel heroes will meet. He will also give you guys a number. That number will be used later."

When we walk in the hall, I hear Johanna scream my name and run to us. She hugs us and says,"thank God you're here! I thought I was about to kill Gale!"

"Why?"

"When he sees all his soldier friends he has to act all high and mighty and turns into a dick." She says annoyed.

"Where is he?"

"Talking to his old commander,"she says,"I give you permission to slap him."

"Okay,"I say,"so where are your kids?"

"With Hazelle,"she says,"speaking of moms, I think I saw yours somewhere in here."

"She's here?"

"Yeah. I think I saw here over there,"she says pointing towards the direction that Gale is in. I look over there and finally I see her standing a few feet away from him talking to Annie.

"Mom,"I say as I stop in front of her.

"Katniss! Peeta! And Willow!"she says and hugs us.

"You didn't tell me you were coming,"I say.

"I didn't want to at first, but then they told me that they were presenting her memorial. I almost didn't come... but Annie convinced me last night."

"Thank you,"I say to Annie,"I think you would've regretted not seeing her memorial."

"Your welcome, Katniss,"she says. Then I hear her turn to Finn and tell him to get away from the candle. He walks back to her side, but as soon as he sees Peeta and I, he runs to us.

"Uncle Peeta! Aunt Katniss!" He says happily and hugs us.

"Hey, buddy,"Peeta says hugging him and ruffling his hair.

"Hi,"he says and hugs him back. Then he hugs me and I kiss his forehead.

"Hi, Finn."

Wow he looks so much like his dad. More and more as he gets older. His bronze hair is done in the same way his father always had his. His skin is the same golden color too. But his eyes are the most striking. They are the same beautiful sea green eyes.

"Doesn't he look just like Finnick?" Peeta asks.

"More and more everyday,"Annie says.

"We'll have to hold back all the girls,"Peeta jokes.

We all laugh and then Annie says,"Willow looks so much like you, Katniss."

"Isn't she beautiful?" Peeta asks.

"Yes, just like her mom,"my mom says.

I blush.

"Very much like her mom,"Peeta says kissing my cheek.

There's a tap on the microphone and Paylor calls for our attention.

"The festivities are ready to begin, if I could have everyone line up in order of the number you received."

When I look at the number in Peeta's hand, it says 3. Panic rises in my mind, if Willow wasn't in my arms I would run. Peeta senses my distress and takes my hand, kissing it.

"It will be alright."

We stand lined up behind a stage now, Paylor is speaking to everyone about how the war was terrible and how we fought hard and recovered. How much Panem has moved on from the terrible reign of Snow.

She then moves onto the next person who is Plutarch. He gives a speech and then it's us. Peeta takes my hand and squeezes it. We stand, hand in hand on the stage, Willow in my arm and on my hip.

"Hello Panem," Peeta says,"I am Peeta Mellark, and this is my wife and daughter, Katniss and Willow Mellark."

Cheers erupt from the crowd.

"You may know us as the star crossed lovers fromdistrict 12, or you may know Katniss as the girl on fire, or the mockingjay."

More cheers.

"Panem is a different world now. There are no more games and no more wars. As a father now, I know the fear of having child. I know not only the fear of being in the games, but the fear that my child could be in danger. No parent wants that. It's terrifying. But we made sure that there will be no more games. Our kids are safe. Our grandchildren are safe. Most people don't understand the effects that the games have on you. They change your life. And the nightmares never go away. But no one will have to go through that because change has happened. And may it forever stay this way."

He squeezes my hand and looks at me. I don't have a golden tongue like him, I can't just make up a beautiful speech on spot. I close my eyes for a second and think of Prim.

"Loss. This war had led to loss. Loss of loved ones, loss of families, loss of districts, and animals. But most of all, loss of Snow. Most loss is bad, but the loss of Snow is far from. But the loss is still there. I lost my sister Prim. All I ever wanted to do was save her, but I couldn't... we've all have experienced loss, in different ways, and that's why I want to take the time for a moment of silence for everyone who died in this war. Primrose Everdeen, Finnick Odair, Boggs, Wiress, Cinna, and Portia were a few great people who risked their lives. God bless them all."

We take our moment of silence and then Peeta says,"thank you."


	57. The anniversary pt 3

Katniss pov

When they do the memorial for Prim, they call both my mom and my family. The statue is perfect. Who ever made this beautiful piece captured her beauty perfectly. It's her sitting with her legs pulled to the side, and she's surrounded with flowers. One is in her hands. She looks at it, her hands are as if they were in mid motion of picking a pedal. She has a mockingjay pin on her shoulder along with a nurse pin. Wings sprout from her back. She's smiling. It couldn't be better.

"Primrose Everdeen l, the beloved sister of Katniss Everdeen, died saving people. She saved so many lives and was one of the youngest nurses at thirteen and one of the few nurses in twelve. She was very selfless, smart, and beautiful like the flower she was named after. She is rewarded with the presidents award, this will be given to her mother Delilah Everdeen."

They give her the medal that is in a glass case.

"This beautiful memorial, designed by her brother-in-law, Peeta Mellark, will be placed in the center of twelve."

No wonder it was so perfect. Not just any artist can capture her beauty, only my husband.

As we walk off stage I ask,"why didn't you tell me you were making the memorial for Prim?"

"I wanted it to be a surprise."

I kiss him and say,"it was perfect."

He wipes the tears from my cheeks and hugs me. Then we go and hug my mom who is also in tears. The next memorial they do is for Finnick. The statue is of Finnick standing on a rock as waves crash around it. He has his trident in hand and he has his arm around Annie who is holding Finn as a baby. His smile is spot on. That smile could make a room of women faint in a heartbeat. But his heart was for the girl next to him. Wings also sprout from his back too.

"Finnick Odair, a victor, a rebel, and a soldier, sacrificed himself to safe others in his group. He will always be remembered for his bravery and his personality. He left his wife and went off to war without meeting his son, Finnick Jr. He was known for his role as a victor and his undying love. And will be remembered as a hero. We are presenting his son today, with the presidents award."

They hand Finn the same thing that they gave my mom. Annie shakes hands with Paylor as tears stream down her face.

"This beautiful memorial designed by his fellow soldier and close friend, Peeta Mellark, will be placed in the center of Four."

After, Annie comes by and thanks Peeta for making such a beautiful memorial for Finnick.

"He deserves it." Peeta says,"Finnick was a great guy."

"Yes, he was..."She says. Then she grabs my hand and says,"I'm sorry about your sister, Katniss, my heart is with you."

"Thank you, Annie."

Johanna and Gale come by, both with tears in their eyes.

"That was beautiful. You did a great job, Peeta." Johanna says.

"You gave Prim the memorial she deserves," Gale says.

"And I'm sure Finnick is smirking with pride watching his son receive that award."

"Thank you,"Peeta says,"they both deserve the best. I gave it everything I had."

"And it came out beautiful,"my mom says.

* * *

A/N so I wanted to just let you know that I'm going to do a Prim Pov as if they were watching over them. I am very Christian so if I offend anyone, sorry not sorry.

* * *

Prim pov

I stand next to Katniss and Peeta and my mom. My dad is next to me. We both admire the beautiful work that Peeta created. "He's amazing!"I say to dad.

"He is." My dad says.

"He did one for me too,"says a familiar voice. I turn around to see Finnick. I run and hug him and say,"hi Finnick!"

"Wow, this is amazing,"he says. He takes my hand and says,"it's said that babies can see us, so your niece can probably see you. She won't remember, but she can still see you. When Finn was a baby, I'd always talk to him and he would just stare at me in amusement."

I walk over to Willow and say,"hi Willow."

She looks my way and reaches out her hand towards me. I smile at her and my dad joins me.

"Hi, baby girl,"he says and kisses her forehead. She lifts her hand and tries to touch him. She lets out some baby gibberish and wiggled in Katniss' arms. Katniss looks down at her daughter and rubs a hand on her back.

Then the tribute to Finnick is up and we watch as Finn is presented with the award.

"He looks just like you,"I say to Finnick.

"I know. I wish I were still alive to talk to him. Annie is raising him so well by herself."

"She is doing a wonderful job,"my dad says.

"I'm so proud of her, and Katniss, and Peeta." Finnick tells us.

After that we stand in a circle along with Katniss, Willow, and Peeta, Gale and Johanna, and Annie and Finn. Only they don't know. Johanna hugs Katniss, both women in tears.

Annie thanks Peeta for making such a beautiful memorial for Finnick.

"He deserves it." Peeta says,"Finnick was a great guy."

"Yes, he was..."She says. Then she grabs Katniss' hand and says,"I'm sorry about your sister, Katniss, my heart is with you."

"Thank you, Annie." She says.

"That was beautiful. You did a great job, Peeta." Johanna says.

"You gave Prim the memorial she deserves," Gale says.

"And I'm sure Finnick is smirking with pride watching his son receive that award." And sure enough he is.

"Thank you,"Peeta says,"they both deserve the best. I gave it everything I had."

"And it came out beautiful,"my mom says.

"You do deserve a beautiful memorial,"my dad says to me,"and you too Finnick."

"Thank you, Mr. Everdeen."

"Your welcome."

Before we leave for heaven, we watch Katniss, Peeta, Annie, Finn, Johanna, and Gale walk away.


	58. Mom's House in Four

Katniss pov

When we arrive in Four, my mom leads us to her new house there. It's a very cute beachy house. Annie was able to get her a house in the victors village so she'd be close to her and Finn. She's been a guide for Annie since Finnick died.

She leads us inside the house and takes us down the hall that is next to the kitchen. There are five doors. One is a bathroom, one is a laundry room, one is an office, and the other two are guest rooms.

She opens up the first door on the right which is the biggest guest room. Inside is an old crib. "Annie let me borrow this for Willow why you stay here."

"I'll have to thank her. That helps a lot."

"Across the hall is the bathroom, and just up the stairs is my room if you need me. If you want you can look around the house, but I'm very tired so I'm going to sleep,"she says. It is very late and all of us are very tired after that emotional day and the ride.

"Okay, goodnight mom."I say.

I lay a sleeping Willow in the crib. Peeta puts our bags on the chair to the desk in the corner. He searches for our pyjamas as I ready the bed.

"I am so tired,"I say yawning.

"Me too, but I smell like the capitol so I think I'm going to shower first."

"Or we could draw a bath,"I say and lean on him.

"That sounds nice but I'm too exhausted to do anything,"he says.

"I don't want to do anything but lay in your arms."

"Okay."

I open the door that leads to another bathroom. This one opens from this room and the other guest room. I walk over to the bathtub across the cool tile that feels good on my sore feet.

I start filling the tub and press a button that is supposed to be something called Hawaiian breeze, whatever that means. But it smells really good. I start to strip out of my clothes and step into the warm water. It raises up just under my breasts. I sigh as the warmth relaxes my muscles and I close my eyes as I lean my head back.

I hear the door open and hear the tread of Peeta as he walks to the side of the tub and strips too. Then he gently moves me forward and sinks down behind me. I lay back against him and let him wrap his arms around me.

He takes a rag and pours some body wash on it then starts to wash my body for me, then his own. I relax against him for a while until the water gets cold and we both get out.

He wraps me up in a towel like a child and then kisses my nose.

"I love you."

"I love you too."

Then we change and curl up together in the bed, both of us practically falling asleep as we hit the mattress.

I wake up to the smell of breakfast.

Peeta is still asleep next to me, so I'm careful as I get out of bed and tread over to the door, passing the crib and finding it empty. My mom must've grabbed her this morning.

I wrap a thin silk robe around me and walk to the kitchen. My eyes have to adjust to the bright light coming from the ceiling to floor windows. They look over onto the beach and the ocean.

My mom stands in her robe with a spatula in her hand by a stove with bacon cooking on it. Willow sits in high chair that I'm guessing was Finn's. She's eating some cut up grapes.

"Mama! Mama!" Willow says happily when she sees me.

My mom turns around to lock eyes with me.

"Good morning, Katniss. I'm cooking breakfast right now, I hope you don't mind, but I already fed Willow. When I went to check on you guys, I found that she was trying to climb out, so I took her with me."

"It's fine,"I say yawning,"what time is it?"

"About 8,"you might want to go wake your husband, breakfast is almost ready."

"Okay,"I say sleepily before turning around and going to wake Peeta. He groans and rolls over, looking at me.

"Morning, handsome,"I say and kiss his forehead. He smiles at me and says,"morning, beautiful."

"Breakfast is almost ready,"I say.

"Really? What time is it?"

"Almost 8."

"Wow, I slept in." He says sitting up.

When we get out of the room and to the table, it is ready.

"It smells wonderful,"Peeta says to my mom.

"Thank you, Peeta."

She serves us a plate full of food each, something she's never given me before. I thank her before taking a seat next to my husband and child. Willow gets really excited when she sees her dad.

Peeta kisses her nose and talks to her in what I call his 'daddy voice'.

"Was she behaving?"I ask my mom.

"She was a perfect angle,"my mom says with a smile.

"Aww where you being good for grandma,"Peeta says poking her tummy which makes her giggle. There's a knock at the door and when my mom answers it, it's Annie and Finn.

They take a seat at the table with us and my mom makes them a plate. Annie tells us about some great spots here in Four as she does. And helps us get to know more about the places to see. I don't really remember much about Four from the victory tour, only that it was beautiful and the place Finnick called home.

Mags too.

"So what place do you suggest first?" Peeta asks my mom and Annie. Annie thinks for a second and then says,"there's this place down by the ocean and its very beautiful. It has a path that leads to a cliff over looking the ocean. The perfect place to see the sunset."

"Okay, I guess we'll go there first."


	59. District 4

Katniss pov

Annie and my mom take us to the cliff. Peeta holds my hand as we walk and I have Willow on my hip. She points to the ocean and says,"Watew!"

"Yeah, water,"I say to her happily. Peeta smiles at her and says,"this is beautiful."

We walk across a path of stones that lead to a small patch of grass. At the very top there is railing which makes me feel better about this. Although I'm not a big fan of the hike up the rocks because I'm afraid that Peeta is going to fall with his bad clumsy leg.

"Are you okay?"I ask him.

"Yeah, I'm fine."

"Okay,"I say still a little weary.

When we get to the top Annie says,"here we are!"

Finn points out to the ocean and says,"Aunt Katniss! Look! It's a whale!"

Out in the middle of the small waves, is a black tail that flops up and then back under. Seagulls swarm the area that it's in.

"That's a good way to tell where they are, the seagulls follow them." My mom informs us. I point to the whales and say,"Willow, look at the whales." She looks in the direction I'm pointing to but instead of noticing the whales she says,"birdies!"

I vaguely listen to my mom and Peeta as they talk about the ocean. I'm mostly focused on keeping Willow away from the edge and the dangers that go with it. I guess these fears come with being a mom. I guess you can never truly know the feeling of this love until you are a parent yourself.

I would dive off this dangerous cliff if it meant saving my baby.

My mom pulls out a camera and asks me to stand with Willow and Peeta in front of the railing. Peeta puts his arm around my waist and smiles as we take the picture. "Aww that's such a pretty picture." She says.

"A pretty picture for a pretty family Annie says.

"Thanks,"I say.

Peeta kisses my cheek and says,"you're the one with all the beauty, and you too my little pumpkin seed,"he says to me and Willow.

Willow puts a hand on his face and laughs happily at her daddy as he makes faces at her. I look into his beautiful blue eyes that mirror the sea below us. Then I look to my daughter who follows after her dad in that way.

They are my happiness.

After the cliff, we walk to the town. Most of the vendors we pass smell of fish or fruit. Annie explains to me the different types of fish and which are the best and what are the best ways to eat them.

"-Tilapia is personally my favorite fish, it's not too fishy..."

As we walk, I notice that there is a lot of murals and art in the town.

"Wow, there's a lot of art,"I comment.

"District Four is one of the top places for art. In the time before the dark days, beach towns were known for art."

The art is all very beautiful, but nothing in comparison to Peeta's.

When we get to the cafe, we sit at a table that is filled with shells and covered with a glass piece. "You have to try the clam chowder, it's delicious,"my mom says.

"Oh yes! It's amazing! Nothing like any other type of soup,"Annie says.

"Okay,"I say,"I'll try it, but it can't be as good as dried plums and lamb stew."

Peeta gives me a small laugh, being the only one to understand that. The waiter comes by and nearly faints when he sees us. "Ms Everdeen, it's an honor!"

"It's actually Mrs Mellark now,"I say awkwardly.

"My apologies,"he says nodding to Peeta,"what brings you to our district?"

"My family,"I say. Short and sweet, not much given into the answer.

"Oh, well that's wonderful, I hope you enjoy your stay,"he says,"can I get you guys anything to drink?"

"Just water,"I say.

"And the same for me,"Peeta says.

* * *

When the waiter comes back with our food, my mouth waters. The clam chowder smells so wonderful. When I take a bite, I nearly melt!

"Oh my god! This IS amazing!"I say.

"See?" Annie says,"it's the best. All the clams are freshly caught here in Four."

"So where do you guys want to go next?"my mom asks.

"What do you suggest?"Peeta asks.

"The beach is always beautiful and you can't go to Four and not go to the beach."

"Okay, that sounds nice,"Peeta says. When we finish eating we take a stroll down to the house and walk to the back where the beach is. The beach is very beautiful, it's sand sparkles and the waves crash. The sun shines down on all of it, making parts gleam and catch your eye.

"You're going to want to take off your shoes when we walk on the sand,"my mom warns.

"Mama, can I grab my trident?"Finn asks his mom.

I see a happy but sad look in her eyes,"sure, baby."

I watch as Finn runs back to the house and returns with his trident. It's bigger than him but he holds it with ease. Like Finnick did.

He runs out to the ocean and starts to wield it like his father.

"He looks more and more like him every day, Annie,"I say.

"Yeah, he does. It's so hard sometimes to look at him because all I see is Finnick."

I couldn't imagine losing Peeta. I wouldn't be able to live. But at the same time, I understand the love of having a child. You can't leave them. If Peeta died, Willow would be the only person keeping me alive.

"And it pains me because he always wants to know about him. I don't blame the boy for wanting to know about his father, but it's just so hard for me to tell him."

"If you ever need help, we're here,"I say,"I'm scared about telling Willow about the games, but they start to learn about it in school so we have no choice."

"Finn has already started to read about the dark days in school, like how we learned, but when he is 10 he learns about each game. He'll learn that we're killers, what we've done. And when he's 13 he'll learn about the rebellion. And then the end of it. I don't want to not tell him about that and have him find out at school."

"Well, when you decide the time is right, then we'll be here to help you tell him, Annie,"Peeta says taking her hand in his.

"Thank you, you guys,"Annie cries.

Peeta pulls her into a hug and pats her back as she cries on his shoulder. "It's okay Annie,"he says softly.

That night at dinner, Annie doesn't eat and it worries me.

A/N so tomorrow I will be going to Hawaii so I might not be able to update soon but if the plan has WiFi or the hotel has it I will write! Please give me reviews on what you think and also, I want to know how to make my writing better, so please leave a review on what I can do to make it better!


	60. Goodbyes

Sorry it took so long, I was in Hawaii but now I'm back!

Katniss pov

It's sad leaving Four, but returning home feels wonderful. I've missed it so much. The smell of coal dust that flutters through the air. And the smell of my home, the smell of dill and cinnamon and fresh pine. The smell of Peeta and I.

But I do miss my mom and Annie and of course my little Finn. I do miss waking up every morning to the view of the ocean and the smell of the salt in the breeze. I also miss the sway of the Palm trees. It was so beautiful and I hope to return someday. But I missed home and I know that Peeta did too. I caught him sniffing coal from a lantern.

It was nice seeing mom again too. Ever since I had Willow, she's been wanting to get in touch with us more and wanted to be a good grandma. And I appreciate that a lot because I think she really should be more involved with her granddaughter. Now that I don't have my restrictions, we can see her and Annie and Finn more.

And Annie, poor, poor, Annie. She's so stressed and I hate to leave her in a time like this. She's so afraid of Finn growing up and I want to be there for her. So I think I'll try to call her more often.

When Peeta comes into the room, he has a great big smile on his face. He comes and kisses me on the cheek and gives me a huge hug. "What are you all happy about?"I ask.

"I'm just so happy to be back home,"he says smiling.

"Me too,"I sigh,"there's nothing like being home."

I wrap my arms tightly around him and hold him to me. I kiss his cheek and then say,"you know what we can do now that we're home?"

"I can take a guess,"I say giggling.

He smiles as I lean down and capture his lips with mine. His hands go under my robe and he finds that I'm not wearing anything under it. He goes to undo my robe but as he does that, I hear tiny footsteps running from the hall to the kitchen where we sit. I sit up and hold the robe closed as I jump off of him.

"Mama,"Willow says rubbing her eyes, her blanket in her hand and her teddy bear under her arm. I notice that her curls that are in a disarray need to be cut.

"Morning, baby girl,"I say and play with her hair. "I'm going to go take a shower-"I hear Peeta groan,"why don't you go and sit next to daddy, he'll get you breakfast."

As Peeta sets her in her high chair that's facing away from me, I undo my robe and let it drop. His eyes get wide and his jaw drops. "See you after my shower!"I say and wave him off. He groans and rolls his eyes.

I just laugh as I walk away. When I get into the shower, the warm water washes over my body and relaxes my muscles. When I finish and change, I come back downstairs to find Peeta talking to Haymitch on the couch and Willow playing with her toys on the floor.

"Oh, good morning, sweetheart,"he says a little too cheerful.

"Uh, hey?"I say.

"Come sit."

Wearily I walk over and sit next to Haymitch. "What's going on?" Peeta takes a seat on the other side of me and takes my hand in his.

"Katniss,"Peeta says softly. I look at him to see that he is very pale and somber. He covers my hand with his other one,"there's something we need to talk to you about."

I look over to Haymitch who nods along with Peeta.

"This morning I went to feed my geese, and I found something laying in my flower bed." Haymitch says.

"Katniss,"Peeta says,"Buttercup, well, he's passed away...I'm sorry, but he was an old cat and it was bound to happen..."

Oh no...Buttercup was the only piece of Prim still alive. And now, like her, he's gone. Even though I used to hate that scraggly thing, he cared and loved Prim. That dumb cat used to make her happy and he comforted me when I was alone. And he loved Peeta and Willow too. I hate to admit it, but that cat was a part of our family.

The sob escapes my lips and the tears flow from my eyes. Peeta hugs and holds me in his arms as I cry. He rubs my back and let's my soak his shirt. "I'm sorry,"he whispers into my hair, his voice is filled with sorrow.

"Mama? Why so sad?" Willow asks.

"Come here, baby girl,"I say.

She gets up from her spot on the floor and walks over to me. I pick her up and set her on my lap. "You remember the kitty?"I ask.

"Butter kitty?"She asks.

"Yes, Butter Kitty, well he's gone now. But he's up with Aunt Prim and its okay,"I tell her. I don't expect her to completely understand, but hopefully she gets some of it.

"Oh. I sorry you sad mommy,"she says.

"Oh it's okay, baby girl, I love you."

"I love you mommy."

Haymitch stands and so does Peeta. "We need to go bury the cat now,"Haymitch says. I follow them to the backyard where there is what I hope is Buttercup wrapped in a sheet. Peeta starts to dig a hole with a shovel and I hold Willow in my arms. Haymitch wraps an around me and hugs me.

I let his gesture comfort me until Peeta is done burying the cat. When he is, Haymitch takes Willow in his arms and Peeta holds me as I cry. He rubs my back and kisses my hair.

"I'm so sorry, love,"he says.

He kisses my shoulder and takes my hand. Haymitch hands Willow back to Peeta and then hugs me too. As we walk away from the little grave, I turn back and silently say goodbye to that dumb scraggly cat that I loved.


	61. A Lake Day

Katniss pov

I wake up to my baby on my face. She stares at me, eye to eye. I can hear Peeta giggling as he holds her over my face, he hair cascading over my face. "Morning mama!" My almost two year old says.

"What are you doing, silly?"I ask in my mommy voice.

"Daddy hold me up!" She says,"I wake you up!"

I smile at her and kiss her nose. She giggles and Peeta lifts her off of my face and sets her down on the bed. I take a look at what they are both wearing and see that they are both wearing their swimsuits. Peeta has his black swim trunks on and Willow is wearing her one piece that is blue floral print with orange frill around her waist.

Peeta smiles at me and holds up a bag. "I though we could have a lake day together. So I got Willow and I ready and made us a picnic. All you have to do is change."

"Look mama! Swimmy! Swimmy!"

"Yup, I see and we are going to have fun."I say and tickle her. She giggles and giggles until I stop. I get up and walk to Peeta. My arms wrap around his neck and I say,"you are such a good daddy,"and then kiss him on the lips.

"Mmmh, and you are a great mommy,"he says,"now go get dressed, and I'll make you breakfast."

I look at all the swim wear that Cinna left me, but it's too skimpy and lingerie like for my taste. Maybe if it were just Peeta and I, but we have Willow with us. Finally I find a green swimsuit that has a halter top that wraps across my boobs, but kinda pushes them up too much for my liking, but not enough to make me not wear it, and bottoms that tie at the side.

I put on a tan see through cover and walk downstairs. Peeta is just finishing up as I walk in. "Here is your-whoa!" He says when he catches sight of me,"you look great."

"You don't think it's too, well, skimpy? Or busty?"

"I think it looks perfect. You look perfect."

"Thanks,"I say as I blush.

After breakfast, Peeta takes the bags as I carry Willow. I put a matching hat on her for the walk over. Peeta holds my hand on the walk over. As we walk, I can't help but notice that people are staring at us.

"Peeta, people are staring,"I say quietly.

"Yeah...but I don't understand why? It's not like they haven't seen us before?"

"Huh..."

When we get into the forest, Peeta let's go of my hand and holds onto the trees so if he falls he doesn't bring down Willow and I. I guess we should have brought his cane with us.

When we get to a harder part, Peeta slips but catches himself on a limb.

"Oh! Honey, are you okay?"I ask him as I try to help him up with one hand.

"Yeah, I'm fine. But my leg kinda bent weird-but don't worry it's just my prosthetics,"he adds after seeing the look on my face. He fixes his leg and then gets up. A sigh of relief escapes my list when I see he's okay.

When we finally get to the lake, it's almost ten. We lay out everything and put Willow in her floaties after I cover her in sunscreen from head to toe. "Okay, now you're ready,"I tell her. Peeta walks into the water and waits for us. "Hold onto daddy's hand,"I tell Willow as we walk over to where he is.

Peeta scoops Willow up and towels her in the water. She laughs and splashes. Meanwhile, I dive into the refreshing water that I've known for so long. I watch as Peeta plays with Willow in the water and it reminds me of when my dad would take me here.

Around noon, we get out and eat the sandwiches that Peeta made. I set up the play pin and put Willow down for her nap. She's so tired from swimming that it was so easy to get her to sleep.

When she is fast asleep, Peeta and I slip back into the water, but only stay on the bank of the lake so we are close to her.

"So Willow took notice of my leg this morning..."He says.

"What happened?"I ask.

"Since my swim trunks don't cover my calves, she took notice of it. Last summer she was too young to even understand and it hasn't been hot enough to where I can't wear pants."

"How, how did she react?"

"She cried when she first saw it and wouldn't come near me,"he says with a sigh.

"Oh, Peeta,"I say sadly.

"Then when she heard me speak to her, she slowly walked to me and I showed her that it wasn't a big deal and that I'm okay."

"What did you tell her?"

"I said I got hurt really bad, so I needed a new leg. Then I took it off and showed her that my leg is okay."

"Oh I'm so sorry honey, you should've woken me up or-"

"Katniss, it's okay. I was able to handle it fine, plus you need to worry less. And don't blame yourself."

"But it's my fault that you have a fake leg in the first place."

"You saved my life, Katniss. And if that meant my leg is the price for my life, then so be it. I'd much rather have no leg that no future with you."

"Peeta,"I say with a heart felt smile as I stroke his cheek.

He leans in to kiss me and then says,"She's going to be asleep for two more hours, so you know what that means we can do."

That devious smile spreads to my face as I wrap my arms around him,"we have to quiet."

"Fine by me,"he says before he kisses me again.


	62. The attack

Anyone see the Mockingjay trailer? Duh! Of course you did! It was amazing right?! I loved it! Especially the everlark kiss. So I going to make this chapter in Peeta pov to change it up.

Peeta pov

Summer turns to Autumn, my favorite season. The leaves turn into my favorite color; orange. Orange, red, and yellow leaves cover every yard, and its beautiful. Katniss doesn't like this season as much, but I think it's because this was always the time when she had to worry about it getting colder and that winter would be coming soon.

This was always a great time for the bakery. Our pumpkin bread was very popular at this time. And as it got colder, people loved fresh bread. This was always the perfect time of the year because it wasn't too cold to get nice hot bread but it wasn't too hot. It's times like these I miss my family the most. My father loved this time of the year too because he said it was the time of the year he fell in love. I have a feeling he wasn't talking about mom. But he also loved the smile of pumpkin spice and the changing of leaves. My mom liked this time just because they made the most money around this time. My brothers didn't really care what time of the year it was.

I wonder how it would be if they were still here... if they were to meet Willow? I'm sure they would love her so much. My thoughts are disturbed by the pulling of my pant leg. I look down to see Willow standing by my leg with her arms up in the air.

"Up daddy!" She says.

"What do you say?"I ask.

"Pees!"

I smile at my daughter and lift her up into my arms. She points to the dough I was kneading and asks,"what that?"

"This is dough. It's going to be pumpkin bread."

"I pumpkin!"she says pointing a chubby finger at herself.

"Yes, I do call you pumpkin."

"Wanna help me?"I ask my daughter.

"Yeah!"

"Okay, watch daddy."I say as I show her how to knead. Then I wash her hands and say,"okay, do just as I did."

She throws her hands at the dough and tries to knead it as I do. She helps me put it in the pan and then I set it in the oven.

"Great job, pumpkin,"I say and kiss her forehead.

"Tanks daddy,"she says.

I hear the door open and see Katniss hanging up her coat.

"Look, there's mommy,"I say and point to Katniss.

"Mommy!" She says happily.

I set her down on the floor and watch as she runs to her.

"Hi, baby girl," Katniss says sadly. Somethings not right. She usually says that happily.

"Katniss?" I say as I walk into the other room. She sits on the couch with her hand over her face.

I take a seat next to her and wrap my arm around her shoulders. I kiss the side of her head and ask,"what's wrong, baby?"

"I was hunting when I heard a scream. When I went, I saw someone being attacked by a wild dog. It was Vick."

"Oh...is he alright?"

"He'll live, but he has a broken leg and its really bad." She says,"the worst part is I didn't react right away. I saw the dog attacking him and all I saw was Cato being attacked by the mutts. I froze. It could have been a lot less worse but I froze."

"Come here,"he says and pulls me into a tight hug.

"It's okay,"he kisses my forehead and says,"you still saved him."

"I feel terrible."

"I think we should visit him."

"No..."

"I think it will make you feel better."

"Please, Katniss."

She relaxes her body completely, making it harder to pick her up, but really this is nothing to me. I can think of the countless times I've picked her up off the couch and brought her to our room when she falls asleep on the couch. I scoop her up and say,"I will carry you all the way down there, I did it when you were pregnant, I can do it now too."

"Peeta,"she groans.

I pull her into a warm embrace and sigh. Hoping she'll listen to me, I say,"I think if you see him and talk to him, you'll feel better. I truly believe this."

"I can't, Peeta, I just can't. I talked to his mom and what she told me, I know is all my fault. I could've saved him. But I froze."

Right then the phone rings.

"Hold on,"I sigh.

I get up and pick it up,"hello?"I say a little irritable.

"Hey, Peeta, it's Rory."

"Hey, Rory."

"I'm so sorry, damn you sound stressed, but I was wondering if I could have today off. My brother-"

"Yeah of course, I'm sorry for kinda snapping when I answered the phone. I've heard about your brother and I'm perfectly fine with you not coming in. I think I'm going to close the bakery today."

"Okay, thanks man."

"Anytime."

With that we hang up the phone. I call Tyler and tell him not to come today and then I go back to Katniss. When I walk back in the room, she's not there. I look to Willow and ask,"where did mommy go?"

She points to the stairs and says,"up."

I sigh and say,"okay. Wait right here."

I go back to the phone and call Haymitch.

"What?!"he says grumpily after a few rings.

"Haymitch, I need you to watch Willow for me. It's Katniss, she's snapped back to how things were before."

"Oh shit, what happened?"

"She was hunting when she saw a wild dog attack Vick. She froze because it made her think of when we pushed Cato into the mutts, and now she blames herself for his broken leg."

"Oh, okay. Bring her over."

"Thanks, Haymitch."

I hang up and grab the diaper bag and Willow. When I take her to Haymitch's house, we find that he is watching the twins too.

"Haymitch, are you sure that you'll be able to watch all three of them?"

"I'm fine. Plus Willow is really easy to watch. It's these two that are trouble."

"Well they are Johanna's spawn."

"And sadly they are just like her."He says,"now go help your wife. I'm fine."

"Okay, thanks Haymitch."

I go upstairs and make my way to the closet that I know she is hiding in. I can hear her whimpers from where I stand. I cross the cold floor to the doors that are concealing her.

I slowly open one and then the other. She sits on the floor with her arms wrapped around her knees. I crouch down in front of her and wipe a fear from her tear streaked face.

"Katniss, can you please tell me why you just won't see him?"

"Because it's my fault."

"It's not your fault. And I'm sure he could easily tell you that."

"But it was, Peeta!"

"Did you tell the dog to attack him? Because if not then it's not your fault."

"Well, no but-"

"But nothing Katniss, it's not your fault."

She puts her face into her knees and cries more. I pull her onto my lap and hold her until she calms down some. I say,"have you even seen him since it happened?"

"No, I only talked to his mom."

"Can you just do one thing for me? Only one simple thing."

She doesn't say anything.

"Please just come with me to see him. Haymitch is watching Willow, it could just be you and I."

She doesn't say anything for a while as she thinks. Eventually she says,"okay."


	63. Visiting

This will be another Peeta pov. Also go check out my one shot "Look at us". Also, let's get to 300 reviews! We are less than 50 away from that goal! And only you can make that happen :) I will give special shout outs if I do.

Peeta pov

"Okay."

Peeta takes my hand and helps me up. We make our way to Hazelle's house. Rory answers the door when we get there. "Katniss, Peeta!" He says,"come in."

"Thanks, Rory."

When we go in, Gale stands with Johanna next to his mom who is helping Vick. I gasp when I see his blood stained wraps around his leg. His face lights up when he sees Katniss.

"Katniss! I can't thank you enough!"he says happily,"I would have died if it weren't for you."

I smile at him and then turn to her.

She has tears in her eyes and says,"but I could have shot it earlier and you would have been okay. But I froze and now you're hurt."

"I would have died if you didn't shoot Katniss, so thank you for saving me." He says sincerely.

"Oh, Vick..." She says sadly.

I wrap my arm around her comfortably. She leans into me and closes her eyes for a moment.

Hazelle says,"why don't you two stay for dinner?"

"Are you sure? We don't want to impose,"I say.

"Please stay, I want to show my gratitude."

"Then we'd love to stay," I say with a smile.

Katniss and Johanna sit and talk on the couch and Rory, Gale, and I stand by the door talking to each other. Gale says,"thank you for coming to see Vick. I know that him seeing Katniss lightened his mood."

"It lightened hers too. She was blaming herself for his accident."

"Aww, she shouldn't do that," Rory says.

"Yeah, that's why seeing Vick helped a lot."

Rory looks at me and Gale for a moment confused and says,"wait a minute... where are your kids?"

"Haymitch." We both say.

"I should probably check on him. I'm not sure how him watching three kids is going."

"Will you ask him about Aspen and Aaron too? I'm sure they are the ones giving him trouble. I'm sure Willow is being an angel."

I chuckle and say,"thanks."

I pull out my cellphone and call Haymitch's house. After a few rings he picks up.

"Hello?"

"Hi, Haymitch."

"Oh it's you."

"Yeah? How's Willow?"

"She's good, she's playing with her toys."

"No problems?"

"Nope."

"And Gale wanted me to ask about the twins."

"They're doing fine now, earlier they were fighting. Now they are playing with Willow."

"Okay. Thanks Haymitch. Remember her bedtime is 7:30."

"I know, I know."

"Okay, by Haymitch."

"By boy."

I hang up the phone and tell Gale what Haymitch told me.

"Damn. Don't get me wrong, I love both of my kids, but sometimes I wish they were one so they wouldn't fight!"

"Yeah, kids can be a hassle, but they are worth it,"I say with a smile.

"I'm surprised that you were able to convince Katniss to have her."

"I knew that in time she would realize that the world has changed. And it was kinda an accident."

"Wait a minute, Willow was an accident?"

"Yeah, a good accident. But as soon as Katniss realized how much she would love her, she was happy about having her."

"Do you think you'll have more?"

"I hope so. Maybe in a couple of years. I mean Willow is only three right now, she's still really little, and I don't want Katniss to be overwhelmed."

"Believe me, it's hard juggling two kids at first, but you get used to it easily." Gale says.

"Yeah, I just hope that Katniss wants more. I think she's content with just having Willow, but I at least want one more. But I would never push her into something she doesn't want."

"That's understandable." Rory says.

"So, Rory, any girls in your life?"

"No. Not really. I guess I just haven't thought about dating anyone since...Well, since Prim."

"Rory, you're almost 21," Gale says.

"I know, but no one can compare to her. I really did love her."

This breaks my heart thinking about what it could have been. Poor Rory, I can't imagine losing the one person I love. I could never love anyone but Katniss.

"I understand,"I tell him,"I couldn't imagine losing Katniss."

"Thanks man."

"So, do you have any plans for your birthday next month?"

"I'm older than all my friends and most of them moved, so I don't really have any plans."

"Don't worry man, we have you covered." I say.

"Yeah, of course," Gale says.

"Why don't you come over to my house and we'll celebrate. I'll tell Tyler too. You can invite anyone you want."

"Thanks man."

"It's no problem."

"That will make Johanna happy,"Gale says,"she's been really wanting to go out and party for a while now."

"It will be great,"I say,"you probably won't remember it. I honestly don't remember much of mine."

"That's because you had seven shots of jack."

"I do remember waking up on the lawn without my pants on."

"What?!" Rory laughs.

"I'm sure that was an interesting night,"I say.

"I'm sure it was!" Rory says.

"It was,"says Gale.

"Dinner," Hazelle says.

The food is delicious and I thank Hazelle for the meal. We sit talking for a while until I notice that it's 8:30 and we should go pick up Willow.

We thank Hazelle once again and then pick up Willow, along with Gale and Johanna since they live next to us and Haymitch has their kids. When we get there, all the kids are peacefully sleeping.

I carefully pick Willow up and lay her head on my shoulder and thank Haymitch. As we walk across the street to our house, I look at the angel in my arms. She stirs a little but stays asleep.

I kiss her forehead and rub her back. The love I feel for her is stronger than anything I've ever felt. As I lay her in her bed I pray that Katniss will want more because I love this feeling, and I would love to feel it as I hold all my kids.

I feel arms wrap around me from behind and say,"you are such a wonderful father, Peeta."

Those words make me want to cry in happiness.


	64. Nikki'N'Beth

Hey! Quick A/N! Go follow Nikki'N'Beth that is my combined account with my friend B. Loves. you should follow her too! And our story Life of a Victor, I actually just uploaded it and that first chapter is by me so hopefully you like it!


	65. Rory's party

Katniss pov

Tonight is Rory's 21st birthday. Peeta bakes as I set up the drinks. I don't really like the smell of alcohol. It makes me think of the puke that was in Haymitch's house. I guess that smell just ruins it for you, unless you're Haymitch. Luckily he can drink responsibly now.

There's a knock on the door so I go to get it. It's Gale and Johanna. That makes sense considering they have the shortest walk. "Hey,"I greet them at the door.

"Hi, Brainless," Johanna says.

"Hi catnip,"Gale says.

Those two with their nicknames!

"Hi Auntie Katniss!" The boys say.

"Hi my little munchkins!"I say and bend down to hug them both. I let them all in and then shut the door behind them. Willow gets up from her playing spot and runs to hug her aunt and uncle. She's getting so big!

"Hi my little Willow tree," Johanna says and hugs her.

"Hi Auntie Jo,"Willow says in her sweet toddler voice.

Then the three of them run off to her toys and play. Peeta and Gale start to talk so Johanna cones with me to help set up the drinks. "Hey, Katniss, can I tell you something?"

"Of course,"I say to her.

"I'm pregnant."

"You are?"I ask.

"Yeah..."

"And does he know?"

"No. I'm afraid to tell, because what if what happened last time happens?"

About a year ago, Johanna had a miscarriage. But it was before she told him. She just told Gale that she had her period. He believed her. I would spend time with her everyday when Gale left. She would just cry as I held her.

"Johanna, whatever happens he'll be there for you. If you have another miscarriage, he'll hold you. He loves you so much and would follow you anywhere. Plus you already know that you're a great mother. You have nothing to worry about."

"Damn, I hate it when you're right." She says,"why don't you get pregnant and we can have our kids together, Brainless?!"

"I have thought about having another kid lately..."I say in thought.

"Brainless, I was just joking!"

"I know, but I have been thinking about it."

"Well you can see it in lover boy's eyes,"she says.

"Yeah, and that hurts me to see how badly he wants more kids."

"Now it's time for you to listen to your own words. Whatever happens he'll be there for you. He loves you so much and would follow you anywhere. Plus you already know that you're a great mother,"she says in her be Katniss voice.

I roll my eyes and she says,"no! Listen to your advice! It's great advice!"

"Damn, I hate it when you're right."

That's when Peeta comes out,"right about what?"

"Right about what alcohol is better together." I say.

"Oh,"he says taking my answer happily.

The door rings and this time it's Tyler and his wife, Emily. "Hey, thanks for coming,"Peeta says as he man hugs Tyler.

"Thanks for inviting us," he says,"hi Katniss, you look nice."

"Thanks, Tyler. It's nice to see you again."

Then Rory finally arrives, along with Thom and Delly. And even Haymitch comes in. Peeta pulls out dinner for everyone. It's very delicious as always. I can't help but notice Johanna scarfing it down.

Then he brings out the cake that him and Tyler made for Rory. It's a beautiful chocolate cake, and it tastes even better. Then Peeta stands and says,"Rory, you have been another brother to Katniss for a long time. And you are like a brother to me too. And I am happy to have you as an employee because you are a great one. Happy birthday, Rory!"

"Thanks, man,"Rory says and man hugs Peeta.

"Now for the fun part,"Gale says,"I think it's time for your first shot."

"Oh God,"he says as Gale pours him a shot of whiskey.

"Here you go, little bro." He hands him the shot and we all cheer him on. He drinks the whiskey, coughing after. We all cheer him on and he holds the empty glass up.

"Okay, what about you guys?"he asks.

Peeta smiles and says,"alright, let's get this party started." He pours a shot for himself and then takes it. Then he pours me one. I take it and Peeta leans in saying,"that was hot."

Then he pours another shot and says,"Johanna?"

"I'm good Peeta."

"What? Who are you and what have you done to Johanna? I mean the only reason you wouldn't do a shot at a part was if you were sick or pregnant..."

Gale turns to look at his wife with a questioning look.

"Fine, I was gonna wait until tonight to tell my HUSBAND, but yeah, I'm pregnant."

We all cheer and congratulate them. Then I go and check on Willow and the twins because they went to go play after dinner. I crouch down beside her and say,"hi baby girl."

"Hi mommy."

"Are you having fun?"

"Yeah."

"Do you want to cone out side with us?"I ask them.

"Okay,"they say and grab their toys.

We all go outside and sit on the porch and talk and drink while the kids play with their toys on the grass. Gale gets Rory drunk which leads to a lot of laughter. Peeta is a little buzzed but no where near Gale and Rory. I don't like to drink that much. So I'm content with a hard cider. Haymitch is surprisingly restraining himself. He's had a few drinks but he's not drunk. He's not even buzzed. Delly and Thom leave early because his mom is watching their kid and the same with Tyler and Emily.

When it starts to get late, Johanna takes the twins home and says,"you can call me when Gale is coming hone and I'll wait outside."

"Okay Johanna."

Willow falls asleep in my arms out on the porch. I end up drifting off and wake up to Peeta carrying me upstairs.

"Where's Willow?"

"I put her to bed already. I have to say, even in your sleep you hold a death grip to her. It was hard getting her without any of you waking up."

"What about Gale, and Rory?"

"I made sure they got to Gale's house safely."

"Okay," I yawn as he sets me down on the bed and starts to change me. Normally I would tell him I could do it myself, but I'm so tired that I just let him do it. I feel the bed dip as he gets in and then he whispers,"I love you."


	66. Surprises everywhere

Katniss pov

"You are my sunshine, my only sunshine. You make me happy, when skies are grey..."I sing Willow to sleep as I run my hands over her hair and hold her. When I'm sure she's asleep, I pick her up carefully and place her in her day bed. I bring her covers up to her chin and kiss her forehead.

My heart sings as I look at my sleeping child.

And I'm hit with such a feeling I could cry. I love being a mom, and I want to be a mom to two kids. The realization of what I want registers in my mind and I know that I must tell Peeta. He has been hinting at having another baby, but Peeta being Peeta, never pushes me.

I was supposed to take my birth control today, but I must have subconsciously made the decision already, because I didn't take it. I flick off the light as I exit the room and go back downstairs where Peeta and I were before I put her to sleep.

He sits on the couch with his feet up on the table as he draws in his sketchbook. I walk up behind the couch and wrap my arms around his shoulders from over the back of the couch. One of his hands reaches up to lace fingers with mine.

I kiss the top of his head and murmur into his hair,"I need to talk to you."

He sets aside his sketchbook and asks,"about what?"

I walk around the couch and take a seat next to him, facing him. I take a deep breath and then say,"I think we should have another baby."

He looks really surprised when I say that. Happy, but surprised.

"Really?"

"No, April fools! Of course really!"I say sarcastically.

"It's just, I didn't think you would want another baby, that's all."

"Well, I've been thinking about it..."

"Me too."

He smiles a beautiful smile that only comes out every once in a while. This is not his normal smile, no this one is rare. I've only seen it a few times like the first time we made love, our toasting, when we found out that I was pregnant, when he first held Willow, and now. It's a smile that only comes out when he's truly and wholly happy.

"I can't wait to have another baby with you,"he says and kisses me.

This kiss is passionate and powerful. It makes me feel giddy and happy.

I wrap my arms around him and he says,"we could start now..."

"I barely stopped taking birth control today, I doubt anything would happen."

"Doesn't matter, can't I make love to my wife anyways?"

"Always,"I say and run my fingers through his hair.

* * *

It's not long until I'm looking at the pink plus sign on the pregnancy test. I guess it all makes sense. I've been very emotional lately...and extremely horny. Peeta doesn't mind, of course. But we definitely aren't as young as we used to be and it tires us immensely.

Peeta is at the bakery, and Willow is with Haymitch today.

I slip on my coat and boots and walk to the bakery. Tyler greets me from behind the counter.

"Good afternoon, Katniss."

"Hi Tyler, where's Peeta?"

"He's discussing a cake with a customer in his office."

"Thanks,"I say.

I walk back to his office and knock on the closed door before I poke my head in. He sits behind his desk writing down notes about the cake. A busty blonde with a shirt much too low and way too short for my liking sits with her legs crossed in a chair across from him.

I recognize her.

Her name is Chloe Clearwater. She's known as the town slut. She came from the merchant side of town, her father was a horse rancher and breeder. In school, she took every boy she ever kissed to the slang heap. I think she rode more boys than she did horses.

I never really had any thoughts about her, I had a family that I needed to support. I didn't have time or interest of town drama. But the fact that she has the title of mistress, and is sitting here in her mini skirt and practically her bra in front of my husband makes me mad. Not that Peeta would ever cheat, but it just makes me uncomfortable.

He looks relieved to see me. "Hey honey!" He says and gets up from his desk to hug me. I guess this meeting was making him just as uncomfortable. "I was just discussing some cake plans with Ms Clearwater-"

"Oh, you can call me, Chloe, Peeta." She says waving her hand flippantly and laughing a fake flirtatious laugh. Peeta doesn't even bat an eye at her comment and continues speaking as if she said nothing.

"Why don't you take a seat and you can maybe give her some input."

"Of course,"I say,"but I actually have some exciting news for you, Mr Mellark, and I believe you would want to hear that first."

His face lights up and he says,"is it what I think it is?"

"I don't know, what are you thinking?"

"I'm thinking that we'll be needing to set up another room?"

I smile at him and nod. He lets out a happy cheer and hugs me. "Oh God I'm so happy right now! I love you so much, Katniss! I can't believe we're having another baby!" He says happily and then pulls me into a breathtaking kiss.

"Eh-hem,"Chloe says a little annoyed. I honestly forgot she was still here.

"I'm sorry for my rudeness Ms Clearwater, but I'm going to have to reschedule this appointment. Perhaps over phone. As you can see, I have some family business to attend to."

She looks quite annoyed and offended for a second and in seconds she switches to a fake smile and flips her hair. "Of course,"she says in a sultry voice,"here's my number. It was great seeing you again Peeta."

She goes to hug him but he puts his hand out and she reluctantly shakes his hand then turns and glares at me as she passes. When the door shuts, Peeta let's out a huge breath. Then laughs.

"That was certainly uncomfortable."

"We can afford to not help her,"I say.

"Yeah, I really would prefer to not help her. She kept trying to get me to say that I used to have a crush on her in grammar school. I only ever liked one girl and that was you"

"I love you, Peeta."

"I love you too Katniss," he says and gets down so that he is face to face with my flat stomach,"I love you too, little baby."

There's a knock at the door so Peeta stands and says,"come in."

Tyler pokes his head in and says,"you might want to come see this."

We follow him to the front where Chloe is throwing cupcakes from the display and is yelling,"PEETA MELLARK IS A FUCKING BASTARD! HE SAID HE LOVED ME AND WHEN I TOLD HIM I WAS PREGNANT WITH HIS CHILD HE REFUSED TO HELP ME!"

We stand there in complete shock.

"What the fuck?" Is all I can say before I see red. This bitch is going down.

A/N please review! :)


	67. the chaos

"PEETA MELLARK IS A FUCKING BASTARD! HE SAID HE LOVED ME AND WHEN I TOLD HIM I WAS PREGNANT WITH HIS CHILD HE REFUSED TO HELP ME!"

We stand there in complete shock.

"What the fuck?" Is all I can say before I see red. This bitch is going down. I breathe in a long breath and start to walk towards her. Peeta grabs my arm and holds me back.

"Think of the baby, Katniss. Please calm down. I'll handle it."

I bite my lip and contemplate going over there and beating the shit out of that blonde twig, or letting Peeta go and handle it with his words. Maybe if I wasn't pregnant, then I would, but he's right. I can't get into a fight and risk getting punched in the stomach.

Before I even say anything, Peeta is walking over to her.

"Excuse me, Ms Clearwater, I'm going to have to ask you to leave this bakery. It's a family place, and I'm afraid you're not welcome here anymore. You aren't behaving in the right manner and we have power to refuse anyone."

"Oh! OF COURSE! OF COURSE YOU WOULD KICK ME OUT OF THIS "FAMILY PLACE" BECAUSE I'M NOT THE FAMILY YOU WANT!"

Rory and Tyler run to her and escort her out. We hear murmurs from everyone in the bakery. Peeta says,"can I have everyone's attention?"

It's silent within seconds.

"I'm sorry that your morning was ruined by this interruption. And I assure you that those are false allegations. I am loyal to my family. I love them more than anything. Again I am sorry for her behavior today."

I walk over to his side and hug him. He wraps his arm around me and runs hand up and down my arm. He kisses my forehead and leads me to the back. "I can't believe this!"I say.

"I know, Katniss. But it's over now."

"Is it?"I huff. "Is it really over? Because do you know what this could mean if thus gets out?"

"I know, Katniss, just calm down honey."

I fume for a few moments and then sit down with a sigh. I didn't realize that Peeta was making cheese buns while I was ranting until he places a plate in front of me with them on it.

"I'm going to go help clean up. You just sit and relax with the cheese buns."

The smell of the cheese buns remind me of how starving I am. I start to scarf them down, when the door opens and Tyler walks in.

"Hey Katniss-"he says when he looks up and sees me stuffing a cheese bun in my mouth his eyes widen. It's very amusing. "Uh-"he stumbles not sure what to say.

"You okay, Tyler?" I ask laughing.

"It's just, I haven't seen a girl eat like that since my wife was pregnant,"he laughs.

"Yeah."I say.

"Yeah, it-oh! Oh wait! Are you-?"

"Yup."I say nonchalantly, taking a bite of my cheese bun.

"Wow, congratulations!"he says,"oh! That must be why that chick was so mad , huh?"

"Probably."

He goes to the closet and puts up the cleaning supplies away. He is covered in frosting and cake. "Did she throw a cake at you?"I ask.

"A few cupcakes. She smashed a cupcake in Rory's face,"he says laughing,"that was pretty funny."

"Damn,"I say.

"Yeah."

* * *

After the bakery is closed, Peeta pays his employees extra for dealing with this crazy lady.

"I'm really sorry, guys,"he says,"thank you for all your help today."

"It's all cool, Peeta. If anything, I'm more worried for you,"Rory says.

When we get home, Peeta wraps his arms around me and says,"we never got to really bask in the glow of our news."

"No, but we need to go pick up Willow first."

He sighs,"you're right."

We walk across the street to Haymitch's house. When we walk in, he is sitting in the kitchen with Willow in a chair and watching as she feeds herself dinner, him also eating too.

"-that's my favorite color!" She says,"and-daddy!" She sees Peeta walk in and forgets what she's saying as she gets down from her chair and runs to hug Peeta. "Hi daddy! Hi mommy!"

"Wow, this one sure has a mouth like Peeta," Haymitch says.

"Yeah she does. I wonder if the next one will be like him or more like me?"I say.

"The next one? You guys aren't having another one, are you?" He asks.

Peeta wraps his arms around me from behind and places his hands on my stomach. "Yeah, looks like you're going to be a grandpa for another one."

"Well, congratulations you two."

"Thanks, Haymitch,"we say.

Willow finishes her dinner as Peeta and I tell Haymitch about what happened today.

"Damn, this girl sounds crazy!"

"She is!" I say.

"It's bad news if this gets out,"he says,"the capitol would hate to hear about the scandalous baker's boy, but would love to exploit it."

"Yeah, you're right." Peeta says.

"Just hope it doesn't get out."

Only we don't have such luck. Peeta is cleaning up our dinner, when the phone rings.

"Hello?"

"Brainless! Are you seeing this?"

"If it's anything other then Peeta's butt, no."

He smirks at that.

"Turn on your tv. You'll want to."

"Oh God!" I say as I turn it to the news.

The reporter says,"is the beloved baker's boy/star crossed lover, Peeta Mellark, really all that love struck? Or is he really an unfaithful husband?"

"No, this can't be happening?!" I say.

"I'm afraid it is," Johanna says sympathetically.

"Ugh! I can't believe this stupid bitch!"

"Do I need to go beat up some bimbo?"

"I'll call you if I do. Oh and while we're on the phone, I might as well tell you.."

"What?"

"We're having another baby."

"Oh that's so great!" Johanna says.

"Thanks. I would be able to enjoy it if I didn't have to deal with this chaos!"

"Well, if you need anything, we're here for you."

"Thanks."

"Anytime, Brainless."

I hang up the phone and sink into the couch and listen to what bullshit they are saying on the news.

"The report says that Chloe Clearwater is claiming that Peeta had sexual relations with her and impregnated her. And when she told him, he kicked her out of the baker and told her to never come back. So is there another side to this loveable baker? Is he all that innocent? Tell us your thoughts and call!"

The first call comes in.

"You're live caller #1. What's your thoughts on this?"

"I think that after nearly 10 years, he's bound to find a new girl. I mean a man like him couldn't possibly stay with someone like Katniss forever!"

"Thank you for your input. Caller #2 you are live!"

"I think that he just got tired of things. I mean they have a three year old daughter, almost four. He probably hasn't gotten any action in so long he gave up on her. "

"Thank you for your input. Caller #3 you are live!"

"I think that Peeta is too loyal to do that. He's been in love with hee since he was five. I don't think it's true."

"Thank you for your input. Caller #4 you're live."

"I think he wanted another baby and she wouldn't give it to him so he went to the first girl who opened her legs."

"Thank y-" the tv shuts off as Peeta clicks the button.

"I can't watch this anymore." He says,"we have to clear this up."


	68. A Call

Katniss pov

Peeta is on the phone with Effie when I wake up.

"Thank you so much, Effie! I can't wait to see you too. I'm not too excited about the venue, but if it gets everything cleared up, it's worth it. I have to go break the news to Katniss, now. Love you too, Effie."

He hangs up and turns to find me standing in the door way.

"Hey,"he says,"how long have you been there?"

"Not too long. What news do you have for me?" I ask him.

"You aren't going to be too happy, but we have to go back to the capitol for an interview with Ceasar Flickerman this weekend."

I sigh and say,"I figured."

"It will only be two days and we can leave as soon as we are done. Effie said we are welcome to stay at her place."

"Okay,"I say,"it will be nice to see Effie again."

"She also said that if we decide to bring Willow, she can watch her."

"I really don't want to expose her to the capitol,"I say.

"Then we can ask Haymitch if he would watch her."He says.

"Yeah, I just, I don't want her in the capitol and-" I start to get worked up and frustrated because I can't put it in the right words.

"Katniss, it's okay, I understand. I don't want her in the capitol either. If I could, I wouldn't have this one in the capitol either, but it's inside of you, and I need you."He says soothingly as he wipes a frustrated tear from my eye.

"I'm sorry, these hormones are getting the better of me."I tell him apologetically.

"I understand, baby,"he says and kisses me. He places a hand on my mostly flat stomach and says,"this one likes to mess with your emotions."

"Yeah, he certainly does."

"He?"

"I kinda have a feeling it's a boy,"I say sheepishly.

"Well, he or she, I'll still love it."

He kisses me sweetly then says,"what do you want for breakfast?"

"Hmmmm...I want eggs, bacon, and cheese buns."

"Okay, I'll have that for you soon." He says. I watch as he walks over to the cupboard and pulls out the supplies. I watch in awe as he makes the batter for cheese buns. I can't help but look at his cute little ass as he dances around.

He looks over his shoulder and catches me staring at him, so he shakes his ass at me. I blush as a feeling clouds my mind. I would jump over this counter and onto him if it weren't for how hungry I am.

"You look like at me like I'm your pray,"he laughs.

"You are, and I'll pounce if you don't finish those cheese buns."

I watch as he shifts his pants. That just pushes me more. I round the island and start to bite his neck. He moans and turns so that he's kissing me. I start to unbutton his shirt and he loosens ny robe, when we hear footsteps running down the stairs.

I groan and pull my robe back on as he buttons his shirt.

"Mowning mommy! Mowning daddy!" She says.

"Hi, baby girl!" Peeta says and scoops her up in his arms. "Do you want some bacon, eggs, and cheese buns?"

"Yes please!" She says.

"Okay, go sit with mommy and I'll make them."

"Okay daddy!" He sets her down and she runs over to me.

After, we go over to Haymitch's' house. We bring over some breakfast for him along with us. "Grandpa!" Willow says hugging him.

He smiles down at the little girl hugging his leg,"hi, sweetheart," he says and picks her up. "So what brings you here?"

"We need to talk to you Haymitch," I say.

"What now, sweetheart?"he asks.

"We were wondering if you could watch Willow for two days as we go for an interview at the capitol?"

"Don't want to expose her to the colored frilly freaks, huh?" He asks.

"Yes."

"Alright, fine. But I won't always be here to watch her whenever you guys have a problem, I got things to do."

"Like what?"

"I have geese to watch for."

"These geese take little care, Haymitch."

"Well, What little care they take, I do."

"Can I see geese, grandpa?" Willow asked him.

"Of course,"he says and walks out the the geese pen. As tough as Haymitch is, he can't deny his granddaughter. He's a complete sucker for her. His weak spot. As she is for all of us. Leave it to Willow to find a soft spot in all of our hearts.

He sets her on his shoulders until he gets to the geese, then he moves her to his arms so she can pet the geese. Only one of them is nice enough to come close to Haymitch. We've named it Jolene. So far we have named five of them. Only a few we can actually recognize though.

There's Jolene, the nice one, Sawyer, he is semi nice, then there are the three that don't like anyone. Timmy, he always gets into things, and Johnny and June who bite.

"I just got a new goose this morning. I named it Marilyn."

"Is it that small one?" Peeta asks.

"Yep."

"Is she nice?"I ask.

"Yeah, she hasn't bitten me yet."

Jolene waddles up to Haymitch and honks at him which causes Willow to laugh,"funny bird!" She says.

"Do you want to feed them?" He asks her.

"Yes, pwease!"

"Katniss, will you hand me that bag of food?" He asks me.

I pick up the bag by my foot and hand it to Haymitch.

"Okay, put your hand in and grab some,"he instructs her. She does as he says and then he says,"now throw it to the birds."

I watch as my baby feeds the geese happily with Haymitch smiling with her in his arms. It might be the pregnancy hormones, or maybe I'm getting soft, but I feel happy tears at this beautiful moment.

"Oh, don't go all mushy gushy on me sweetheart." He says.

"I can't help it, Haymitch! It's just so cute. It makes me so happy to see you so happy with your granddaughter." I think of how he made the crib, well finished it, for her. He definitely loves her and I'm sure he'll love this one too.

And even though he says like he's annoyed he smiles at me and I at him.

A/N what do you think of grandpa Haymitch?


	69. Effie's house

Katniss pov

I wake up in a sad mood. I don't want to leave my baby for a few days. We already have everything packed, so all we have to do is eat, drop Willow off, and get to the train station. I can tell that Peeta is sad to. His face has a dim look to it, it's not his usual glow.

I wake up Willow and we eat. Then she falls asleep in Peeta's arms. I grab the two suit cases and bring them downstairs. "Katniss,"Peeta sighs,"let me get the suit cases. Here you take Willow."

He places her in my arms and takes the suit cases. We make our way to Haymitch's house, and find him awake, sipping coffee on his front porch with a little black cat on his lap.

"Morning, Haymitch, morning, cat?" Peeta says.

"I found it on my porch yesterday. He came back this morning, so I decided to keep him. He didn't have a collar and was awfully skinny, you cou'd see his bones. I named him Robbie."

"Robbie, huh?" Peeta says.

"Yep."

We walk into his house and I lay Willow down on the couch and cover her with blankets. She looks so adorable when she's asleep. I feel arms wrap around me from behind. I relax into the arms of my husband and hear Haymitch fake gagging.

I roll my eyes and Peeta laughs.

Haymitch comes in with two cups of coffee for Peeta and I. None of us really care all that much for coffee but we take it anyways and thank him. I look at my baby sadly. "I really don't want to leave her,"I sigh.

"I know, me neither, but she's in good hands." He says.

"You guys will be back before you know it," Haymitch says,"go clear your name."

"Thanks again, Haymitch." Peeta says and hugs him.

"Anytime, boy."He says.

"And Sweetheart, try not to worry too much,"he says and hugs me.

"That's impossible, I'm a mom."

He chuckles and says,"I guess that's true."

I kiss Willow on the head and whisper,"I love you," to my baby.

Peeta leans down and kisses her forehead too,"love you, pumpkin,"he says.

We grab our bags and make our way to the train station. We go to our train car. It's a long ride so we have a separate compartment, similar to the victory tour. Peeta puts our bags in the section that holds them and then lays down on the bed.

The conductor comes on the speaker and announces that we are leaving. I take a seat next to him. The train starts to move and that's when my stomach flips. I run to the bathroom as quick as I can.

Peeta is there in an instant.

My morning sickness has officially started!

I lay on the floor with Peeta's arms around me. I groan into his chest as the terrible feeling sits in my stomach. He rubs my stomach and says,"I'm sorry you have to go through this,"he says.

"It will be worth it,"I groan.

After hours of sickness, we arrive at the capitol. Effie meets us at the train station and takes us back to her house. It is very Effie like. It's all pinks, yellows, and blues. All pastels!

"Oh I'm so happy! It's so great to see you two!"She says happily.

"It's great to see you too, Effie."

"We actually have some great news for you,"I say.

"Oh really? What is it dear?"

"I'm pregnant!"I say.

Effie screams with joy and hugs us. "Oh this is so wonderful! Another baby! Congratulations!"

"Thanks, Effie," we both say as we get crushed by her hug. She leads us to a room where we will be staying. It's a big room with a pink bed and flowers on the side table.

"This is where you'll be staying,"she says.

"Thank you, again for letting us stay with you," Peeta says.

"Anything for the two of you," I'll let you guys get settled in."

Peeta pulls me into his arms and says,"how do you feel?"

"I still feel uneasy."I say.

"Maybe Effie might have something to help."

* * *

At dinner, Effie cooks a beautiful and delicious steak. I didn't know she could cook so well?

"Is this a hobby you've taken up?" I ask her.

"Yes, I'm not fed like I was before, so I decided to learn how to cook. It's a very good thing to know how to do. And I bake, but not nearly as well as Peeta."

"Years of practice, Effie,"he says,"that's all it is."

"No, I think you just have the magic touch." I say and Effie agrees.

"So, Peeta, I have all these ingredients, but I'm not that good as baking, so I was wondering if you would help me bake a cake."

"Of, course,"Peeta says.

I watch as they bake the cake. It's a beautiful chocolate cake. It smells delicious! Even though we just ate, my stomach growls. I rub it and think of the baby that causes me to want to eat everything.

I think of when I was pregnant with Willow. I was always hungry but sick, I always wanted Peeta until I got so big I would push him away. Then there were times when I was always uncomfortable, but I won't have to worry about that for a while.

When they finish the cake, they cut me a piece and I devour it.

"Wow, that was so delicious. The baby definitely thanks you,"I say.

"Anything to make mommy and baby happy."He says.

"Well, mommy is very happy."

I can just see Effie fangirling in the corner as Peeta presses a kiss to my forehead.

"You guys are just so cute!" She says.

After, we talk on her couch for hours. We catch her up on everything that has happened since the last time we talked to her and she does the same. I didn't realize that I fell asleep until I feel Peeta putting clothes on me.

He tucks me into the bed and pulls me into his arms when he gets in.

I feel his hand go to my stomach and he says,"goodnight beautiful little baby, I love you so much."

I can feel my heart grow with love for Peeta and the baby. Then I think of Willow too and it makes me sad that I didn't get to say goodnight to her and kiss her head like I do every night.

So I hope Haymitch can give her enough love for all of us.

I soon fall asleep to the rhythm of Peeta's heartbeat, not knowing what tomorrow will be like.


	70. The Interview and The Pain

Katniss pov

Our prep teams gets us ready in the morning, they dress me in a tight dark skirt and a blue top that matches Peeta's eyes and Peeta has a light blue button up shirt that matches and dark pants.

They put my hair in my signature braid and leave my face alone for the most part. They just put on a little mascara. As we stand behind the stage, Peeta wraps his arms around me and whispers,"it's okay."

I try to calm myself as someone comes up to us and says we have five minutes. "Think of the bright side to this,"he says. I nod and think of that bitch's face when she sees that no one believes her little story.

We hear Ceaser's voice booming above the crowd as he welcomes them to a 'very exciting night'.

"Tonight I will be talking to the one, the only, star crossed lovers!" The crowd erupts into cheers. "We will be hearing the real story to all the chaos that has been going on. So tonight let's welcome our favourite couple, or at least my favorite couple, Mr and Mrs Mellark!"

That's our cue to go on stage. I put on a smile and take Peeta's hand as we walk on and wave to the crowd. Just like old times. We take a seat on the chairs next to Ceaser and he quiets the crowd.

"Welcome, it's great to have the two of you back." He says to us.

"It's great to be back,"Peeta says with a smile.

"So let's talk about the question that has been on everyone's mind, what happened with Ms Clearwater?"

"Well, Ceaser that's something we are still trying to wrap our head around ourselves."

"Did anything happen between the two of you? Many people are calling you a cheater."

"No, there was nothing between us. I would never treat Katniss like that and cheat on her. I love and cherish her too much. I mean, I've been in love with her for twenty years. That's longer than she's even known me. And I love my daughter to and wouldn't do something that would effect her too. I love my family too much." He squeezes my hand and smiles at me.

"So the pregnancy is not real?"

"We don't actually know whether or not she's pregnant, but we know it's not mine."

I do something bold that even surprises me,"the only on pregnant with Peeta's child, is me."

Peeta raises his eyebrows in surprise as I say this.

Ceaser raises his hands in the air and says,"whoa! Are you saying you're pregnant?!"

I place a hand on my stomach, along with Peeta's and say,"yep, we're having another baby."

"This is exciting news! What do you say people?" He asks as the crowd goes crazy.

"So, back to Ms Clearwater, what happened that day?"

"Well, I was talking to Ms Clearwater about her order when Katniss came in. She pulled me to the side to tell me the wonderful news of our second child. I had told Ms Clearwater that we would have to reschedule and she seemed normal as she walked out then I heard chaos going on in the front. She was yelling and throwing things at my employees. So I asked her to leave."

"Any ideas to why she acted that way?"

"I don't know, maybe she was angry because I impregnated my wife? I honestly can't say why because I don't know."

"Wow, well, I'm sure everyone who called you a cheater has now thought differently about it."

Peeta nods.

"So how is little Willow Mellark?"He asks.

"She is very well, she's so smart and beautiful and creative. She is with her 'grandpa' Haymitch right now."

"How old is your daughter?"

"She is four,"I say.

"It seems like yesterday we were finding out that Katniss was pregnant with her,"Peeta says.

"So any hopes with this child? Boy or girl?"

"I just want it to be healthy,"I say and Peeta agrees.

"But if you were to guess, what would it be?"

"I'm guessing it's going to be a girl,"Peeta says.

"I'm guessing a boy," I say.

"Well, boy or girl, congratulations."

"Thank you, Ceaser." I say.

He asks us more questions about our lives and then ends the show with a big farewell to the star crossed lovers. After the show Ceaser meets us behind stage and says,"I can't thank you enough for coming on the show. It's always a pleasure to have you guys." He seems so different. "I just wanted to tell you guys that because you probably don't actually take my thank yous seriously, but I really do appreciate you coming."

"I have to admit, I never really did because I associate all of this with the games," Peeta says,"but it's nice to hear that you're genuine about what you say."

"New Panem has changed the perspective of a lot of us,"he says.

"Well thanks for helping us clear this all up,"I say.

"Anytime, like I said, you are my favorite couple."

* * *

When we get back to Effie's house, Peeta and I start to pack up. Effie talks to us about how we need to visit more often and that she will come down to twelve some time soon.

Peeta continues to pack and talk when I feel an uncomfortable pain in my stomach. I stop packing and grab my stomach as another pain shoots through me. I gasp and say,"Peeta, I think there's something wrong."

"What? What's wrong?"He says alarmed.

"I'm getting these pains in my stomach and I don't think this is normal,"I say worried.

We need to get you to the hospital, now." Peeta says. Effie has us get into her car and takes us to the emergency room. I hold onto Peeta trying to calm myself down but it's not working. When the doctor comes in and asks me what was wrong, I explain to him my problem.

"I'm going to get a blood test, Mrs Mellark,"he says as he preps the needle. The whole time I look into Peeta's worried eyes.

Even though it's only minutes, it seems like hours. But finally the doctor comes in with the results.

He takes a seat and looks at his clip board.

"Your HCG levels aren't doubling, in fact they are decreasing. You should expect to be bleeding in a couple of days. That will be your body getting rid of everything inside your uterus. I'm sorry Mr and Mrs Mellark, but you're having a miscarriage."

My heart breaks at his words.

I'm not pregnant.

My baby is gone.

"There's nothing we can do?" Peeta asks.

"I'm afraid not. I'll make an appointment with your doctor for next week so she can check you after the bleeding."

He leaves the room and that's when I cry into Peeta's arms.

I can feel his raged breaths and his tears falling into my hair.

"I'm sorry Peeta,"I whisper. I've let him down and I know it.

"You have nothing to be sorry for,"he whispers and kisses my forehead.

I decide to not argue with him and just cry into his chest. The pain in my heart is greater than the pain in my stomach.

That night Peeta goes to rest his hand on my stomach like normal but curls his hand into a fist and pulls it away.

We cry ourselves to sleep, with pain heavy in our hearts.


	71. Destruction of the Heart

A/N so this goes out to the guest who reviewed to this story, I'm truly sorry to hear about your cousins miscarriage. I've never had a miscarriage,let alone been pregnant, but my mom has told me terribly sad stories about her miscarriages, so my heart goes to your cousin and my sympathy is true. Thank you for sharing that with me and thank you for your review :)

With that, here is the next chapter!

Katniss pov

I stay in bed, waiting for the bleeding to come. Peeta tries to get me out of bed but after the second day he gives up and just lays with me when he isn't taking care of Willow.

He occasionally comes in with Willow but leaves when he sees her becoming frustrated that I won't play with her. I know I shouldn't neglect the child I have and should be thankful that I have her, but I can't bring myself to move. I know Haymitch has been helping him. It's just like when Prim died. Only I barely knew of this child.

Finally the day comes when I have to go to the appointment. Peeta practically drags me there. I already know I'm having a miscarriage, what more do they need?

I haven't bled yet, but I can feel it coming on soon.

When the doctor walks in, he gives me a sad sympathetic smile and asks me how I'm feeling. I can't help my rude remark,"how do you think I'm doing? I'm having a miscarriage!" Peeta rubs his hand on my back and starts to apologize for my irrational comment, but the doctor waves it off.

"Don't worry, it's understandable to be sad and angry. My wife and I went through a miscarriage ourselves."

"I'm sorry to hear that,"Peeta says politely.

"It's quite alright, we had two beautiful children soon after. It's hard to get over at first, but when you do finally have a child, the pain is worth it. And seeing the happiness of your daughter should help, hasn't it?"

"Not really..."Peeta answers for me.

"I'm sorry to hear that."He says,"well, I want to check to make sure that nothing bad happened to your body, have you bled yet?"

"No." I say

"Hmm, that's weird, it's been a week. You should have bled within three days." His eyebrows crease together as he thinks. "Let me just try something..."

He pulls out the ultrasound machine and asks me to lift my shirt. The cool gel makes me shiver as he lost it on me. He pulls out the wand and waves it on my stomach. The screen light a up and my heart drops when it comes up blank.

I close my eyes and let tears fall freely. I have no more hope. Peeta kisses my forehead and I feel him tense. As the time goes on, I feel Peeta start to loose hope too. Then there is a gasp and the room fills with a thumping noise, it's way too fast to be mine.

"Open your eyes, Katniss!" Peeta says.

My eyes pop open and what I see is beautiful and shocking. There's a tiny spot on the screen. It's only the size of a peanut and doesn't really look any different then one.

"I don't know how, but it pushed through the lack of HCG and survived. Your levels must have raised."

"It's a survivor like it's mom,"Peeta whispers, still baffled by the sight.

"I guess the odds were in your favor,"the doctor says.

I tensly nod at his reference. He prints out the pictures and hands them to us.

"Congratulations."

"Thank You,"I say still shocked.

He leaves Peeta and I for a moment. Peeta wraps me in his arms and we cry together. "I can't believe this,"I choke out in my tears.

He leans in and kisses me and presses his forehead to mine as we laugh in our tears.

"I love you, Katniss Mellark."He says.

"I love you too, Peeta Mellark."

As we walk home, I still can't get my head around this. Our baby survived against the odds? I think of all the times that I've survived against the odds. Like when my dad died and I had to survive for the sake of Prim. Or the first games where I had to survive for the sake of Prim again. And then the second games I had to survive for Peeta and Prim. And I survived through the rebellion. I survived through not having Peeta after.

We go to Haymitch's house to pick up Willow.

He is surprised when he sees us smiling.

"What the hell is going on?"He asks,"shouldn't you be sulking?"

"We're having a baby, Haymitch."

His eyebrows raise in surprise and nearly drops Willow who is in his arms, thankfully he doesn't. "It's a survivor," Peeta says and places a hand on my stomach. I take Willow from his arms and she says,"mommy! Will you play now?" She asks.

"Yes, baby girl, and I'm sorry for not being with you. I was just sad."

"Sad? Why?"

"I was sad because I lost something important, I love it like I love you. But it's okay now."I say.

She hugs me and kisses my cheek. I smile at my baby and kiss her on the nose.

"I love you, Willow,"I say.

"Love you too, mommy,"she says.

Peeta thanks Haymitch and asks him to come to dinner.

"It's alright, boy. I'll let you have a family night."

"Haymitch,"Peeta says,"you are family."

I watch as Haymitch blushes and looks down. "Alright,"he gruffly says.

"Did you have fun with grandpa?"I ask her.

"Yeah! I feed a goose and I picked apple!"

"Wow! That's great, pumpkin!" Peeta says. She smiles at her dad and says,"and I bakeded lunch!"

"Wow really?!"I ask.

"Mmmhmm!"She says nodding.

After Willow is put to bed, Haymitch, Peeta, and I sit in the living room.

"So when are you guys planning on telling her?" Haymitch asks.

I look to Peeta and shrug,"I guess we haven't thought about it yet..."

"Yeah, but I guess we should tell her soon."

"We have to call Effie too and tell her the good news." Peeta says.

"And my mom. She's not going to be too happy that she found out I was pregnant over tv."

"Maybe you should call her now." Peeta suggests.

"Yeah, I have a lot to explain." I get up and walk to the phone and dial her number. The phone rings a few times and then she picks up."

A/N omg thank you all for reviewing and getting this story to 300 reviews, that is 300 past my expectations! Lol! I love you all and your reviews and continuous support, it makes my day!


	72. Phone calls

Katniss pov

"Hello?" My mom says as she answers.

"Hi mom,"I say.

"Hello, Katniss,"she says happily,"so I'm guessing you have something to tell me?"

Her sarcasm makes me smile. "Yeah...a lot actually."

"So you've obviously seen the interview. So you already know about all that Chloe Clearwater stuff."

"Yes."

"Well, that day I found out I was pregnant and I was planning to tell you, but all that got in the way. And then, after the interview I um...I found out I was having a miscarriage..."My eyes well up with tears.

"Oh, Katniss," my mom says sympathetically,"I'm sorry."

"The doctor said my HCG levels were dropping and said I should have expected to bleed. And then we just recently went back and I don't know how, but I'm still pregnant, mom."

"What? How is that possible? That's so rare."

"I don't know how, but it happened. Peeta and I are having another baby."

"That's so wonderful, sweetie,"she says,"I will visit soon to see you guys. I miss my grandchild, how is she?"

"She's good. She's going to preschool soon. I'm so nervous though."

"The schools are safe, Katniss. She'll be okay."

"I know, but I can't shake that feeling. And this is just a step closer to her finding out about our games."I sigh.

"I know, but there's no way around that. She's going to find out eventually that not only one, but both her parents are victors and rebel leaders of the rebellion."

"I just want her to stay oblivious and innocent."

"Being a parent is hard, but it's worth it. Plus, you have time to discuss all this with Peeta before she even knows about the games themselves. She's only four. You have at least 7 more years."

"I guess you're right." I sigh,"there are just so many things I don't want to have to explain to her. Like the games, the rebellion, and then there's dad..."

"He would have loved her so much,"she says with a hint of sadness and a bittersweet happiness.

"It hurts to think that dad never will get to see her grow up, let alone me. And I'm going to have to explain to her why I don't have my father, why she doesn't have a grandpa that she should. I think she knows that Haymitch isn't any of our fathers but that's all. And not only will we have to explain him, but Prim, her sweet aunt who would have loved and spoiled her so much, and then there are also Peeta's parents, and his two brothers. I feel like she's been deprived of these."

"Peeta's father would have loved her too. He was always good with kids, that's probably why Peeta is so good with kids."

"Yeah, it might be."

"When you were still young, your father would always get down on all fours and chase you around the house. You would always laugh and smile as you ran away." There's happiness in her voice.

"I miss him,"I say.

"Me too."She says.

"Sometimes when I see Peeta playing with Willow, it reminds me of when dad would play with Prim and I when we were little. He loves her so much. And he is so excited for this one,"I say placing my hand on my stomach.

"It's very exciting. Have you told Willow yet?"

"No, not yet..."

"It's best to do it now so that you have time to explain what's going to happen. Then she'll have some understanding and it will be easier. You were around her age when I had Prim. "

"I'm not sure how?"

"All you have to do is explain that you're having a baby."

"Okay..."I sigh.

I hear a beeping and my mom sighs,"they need me at the hospital. I will come to see you guys soon. Tell Willow and Peeta I love them. I love you, Katniss."

"Okay, I will. Love you too mom."

I hang up the phone and then walk to the living room where Peeta and Haymitch are. "How'd she take it?" Peeta asks.

"She took the news fine. She was really happy and excited. She also wanted me to tell you that she sends her love to you and Willow."

"Okay,"he says and smiles.

I walk over to him and sit right next to him, curling up to his side. He kisses me on the forehead and then pulls me closer to him.

I feel exhausted, so I lay my head on his shoulder and end up falling asleep that way. When I wake up, I'm laying on top of him on the couch still. He has one arm behind his head and the other around me, his head rests on mine and he is lightly snoring.

The tv is one. Whatever he was watching has before, has now been replaced with Ceaser's late night talk show. I reach for the remote on the floor and click it off. Then I slowly stand. I don't want to wake him from his sleep, but our bed is a lot more comfortable than this couch.

I kiss his forehead before I run my hand through his hair. He looks so peaceful. My hand goes to his perfect chest and I lightly shake him. He moans before his eyes flutter. He looks up at me confused.

"Lets go up to bed,"I say.

He sits up and stretches. Then stands up and wraps his arms around me. He leans in to kiss my forehead and says,"I love you, Katniss."

We sluggishly walk up the stairs and when we get to the top, I walk to Willow's room to check on her. She is asleep peacefully so I follow Peeta to our room and change into my boy shorts and his t-shirt.

Then I crawl into bed with him and fall asleep instantly in his arms.


	73. First day of school

Katniss pov

Today is the day I have been dreading for a while. Today we take Willow to preschool. Peeta took the first shift off so he could come with me to drop her off and meet the teacher.

Peeta is already awake when I get up. It's seven when I look at the clock. I smell bacon and cheese buns when I get downstairs. That's when I hear Peeta singing horribly and dancing even worse than the singing.

"Honkytonk Ville where I don't feel a thing since you've been gone, where the futures always bright-in the glow of neon lights, livin' high on barstool hill, in Honkytonk Ville." I wrap my arms around his waist which startles him.

He found some old CD's that my dad had and absolutely loves them. Especially one artist named George Strait. I remember my dad telling me that these were from his great great grandpa who lived in the dark days.

Peeta turns in my arms so he can wrap them around me. He smiles and says,"good morning."

"How long have you been up for? This is your day to sleep in."

"I guess I didn't really sleep in that much. I've been up since 5:30. But it's okay, I like to watch you sleep. You look so peaceful with your hair everywhere and your hand on your stomach. The drool on your mouth as you snore."

"I do not drool or snore."

He smiles and says,"Yes you do."

"Do not."

He leans in and kisses me and when he pulls away I say,"I haven't brushed my teeth yet so that was probably nasty for you."

He smiles and says,"any kiss is amazing with you."

He places a hand on my stomach which is starting to get more noticeable. I realized that I'm bigger this time than I was with Willow at this time. He gets down on his knees and presses a kiss to my stomach.

"Hi, baby. It's daddy."

I feel the lick ticking flutter that I feel whenever Peeta talks to my stomach. Sadly he can't feel it yet, but he will be able to soon. Willow was extremely happy when we told her about it...

_"You're starting to show." Peeta says._

_"Yeah."_

_"We need to tell Willow now. She'll start questioning why you're changing."_

_"You're right."I sigh._

_That's when I hear Willow walking downstairs. Peeta holds my hand as he calls to her. She runs to where we are sitting with her bear in her hands._

_"Willow,"Peeta says,"mommy and daddy have something to talk to you about."_

_She looks at us expectantly._

_I look at Peeta and he continues,"your mom and I have decided to have another baby. Right now it's growing inside of mommy's stomach and won't be out for a long time. And mommy is going to look different too, her stomach is going to grow bigger. And you are going to be a big sister. You'll have a baby brother or sister."_

_"Another me?"She asks._

_"Kind of. We'll have another child but it will be different than you."_

_"Oh. And you still love me?"She asks._

_"Of course, nothing will ever make us stop loving you,"I say._

_"We love you very much, pumpkin." Peeta says to her as he pulls her onto his lap. He kisses her forehead and says,"don't even think for a second that we don't because we always will. When the new baby comes, we will have to pay a lot of attention to it because it can't do anything for itself like you can. But that doesn't mean we don't love you. We do."_

_"Okay, daddy. I love you too."She says and hugs him. Then she turns to me and says,"I love you, mommy." And then hugs me._

_"I love you too, baby girl."_

Peeta presses a kiss to my stomach and then says,"are you okay?"

"Yeah, I just felt it move again. It's kind of a weird thing right now. It tickles and I have to get use to it."

He laughs and says,"I can't wait to be able to feel it kick."

We hear footsteps coming down the stairs. Willow is fully dressed with her backpack. "Okay, I'm ready for school!" She says and runs to the door.

"Whoa, Whoa, Whoa, slow down there speedster,"Peeta says,"you still have an hour until school. Come eat some breakfast with your mom and I."

She sighs and walks into the kitchen.

She looks really sad and pouty.

"Hey, why so sad?"I ask her.

"Cause I want to go to school!"She says.

"I know, and you will. Just wait, okay?"

"Okay."She sighs.

"Will it make you happier if I sang to you?"

"Yes!"She says.

I pick her up and place her in my lap and wrap my arms around her.

"I hope you never loose your sense of wonder, you get the fill to eat but always keep that hunger, May you never take one single breath for granted, God forbid love ever leave you empty handed, I hope you still feel small when you stand beside the ocean, whenever one door closes I hope one more opens, promise me that you'll give faith a fighting chance, and when you get the choice to sit it out or dance, I hope you dance, I hope you dance-"

I look up from her and find Peeta gazing at me with a loving expression. He smiles as he places a plate in front of me and another next to it for Willow.

"I love it when you sing, I fall more and more in love with you."

He leans over the counter and kisses me. I take a bite of the cheese buns and say,"I fall more in love with you everytime I eat."

He smiles and says,"I believe that."

After breakfast, I change into my clothes which are now my maternity clothes because I'm too big for my regular jeans. I put on a black tank top and a knit cardigan and dark jeans with my boots. I braid my hair and then look in the mirror.

My bump is very visible in this shirt so I pull the cardigan close around my stomach.

"Why are you hiding your bump?"Peeta asks me as he walks in.

"I don't like it showing..."

He kisses my shoulder and holds me from behind,"I love seeing it. It makes me happy every time I see it."

"Maybe I should change into a looser shirt."

"Can't, it's time to go."

"Okay,"I sigh.

I follow him downstairs to an anxiously awaiting Willow.

"Okay, let's go,"I say to her.

She holds both our hands as we walk to the school.

We find the preschool room which is room 4. Peeta signs us in on a piece of paper and then we go to meet the teacher. She is a very tall blonde woman. Peeta and I walk up to her and wait until she is done

When she is done speaking to those parents, she turns around and nearly falls over when she sees us. She quickly composes herself though. "Hello, I am Mrs. Taff." She says as she reaches out a hand.

"I'm Peeta Mellark,"Peeta says as he shakes her hand,"and this is my wife, Katniss, and our daughter Willow."

"It's wonderful to meet you two,"she says and shakes my hand.

Then she looks at Willow and says,"Hello, Willow, I'm your teacher, Mrs. Taff, it's nice to meet you."

"Hi,"Willow says shyly.

"I hope you have a lot of fun in my class."

She seems like a really nice lady.

"I have these forms for you, some are just numbers in case you need to contact me, and I-I also have this paper that just gives you an idea of what she will be learning. The yellow for you don't have to fill out, but if either of you would like to help out in the class, you can fill it out and I will give you a schedule of days I-I will need help on." She goes to hand me the papers and ends up dropping some.

"I'm so sorry, but I just can't believe that I'm actually talking to you two! I can remember your victory tour, I'm originally from district 3. And if it weren't for you, my daughter would have been old enough to be reaped this year. So thank you."

"We appreciate your kindness," Peeta says,"and we would also appreciate if you treated us as any other parent."

"Oh, of course!" She says.

Peeta speaks to her as I read over the papers.

"Hey, Brainless."

I look up to see Johanna and Gale standing in front of me.

"Hey, what are you guys doing?"I ask.

"We dropped Aspen and Aaron off at kindergarten. We figured you'd be here taking Willow to preschool."

"Yeah,"I say,"I really don't want to leave her."

"I know, and believe me, you'll cry when you get home, maybe on the walk home considering the fact that you're pregnant."

"I promised myself I wouldn't-"

"Believe me, brainless, every mom cries after dropping their kid off. Especially their first. It's normal. Just think of it this way, I cried."

"I guess that's true..."

"It's sad the first week. You can always help out in the class though. That makes it a bit easier."

"It does?"

"Yeah, because you'll see them for a whole day at least once a week."

"I wasn't really thinking about it, but maybe that's a good idea."

"What are you doing today?" Johanna asks.

"I was just gonna go to the bakery with Peeta, why?" I say shrugging.

"Do you wanna go with me downtown? They opened up a bunch of shops so I thought I'd check them out."

"Okay,"I say.

"I'll stop by the bakery and get you in a couple of hours."

"Okay."

Peeta wraps a hand around me, which gets me attention.

"We'll see you later," Johanna says.

"Okay,"I say.

Willow wraps her arms around my legs and when she lets go, I crouch as much as I can, as Peeta protests, and hug her. "I love you, Willow. Have fun at school."

"Love you too, mommy,"she says.

Peeta helps me stand up and then goes to hug Willow.

"I love you, pumpkin. I'll see you later."

"Love you too, Daddy."

She runs to her desk and we see her talking to the people around her. "Reminds me of someone I know,"I say laughing as I look at Peeta.

"What? I was just a social kid. But I never could wrack up enough courage to talk to you."He says.

"Well, you definitely have enough courage now,"I say and place a hand on my stomach.

"I would hope so, considering the fact that you're my pregnant wife."

"Me too."

As we walk to the bakery, I feel my heart sinking just thinking about how I won't see my baby for a while. I feel the tears flow from my eyes and I can't stop them.

Peeta looks at me and says,"are you okay?"

"I don't know..."I sigh.

He wraps his arm around me tightly and kisses me on the cheek.

When we get to the bakery, Rory and Tyler are helping customers and Vick is cleaning up. It's packed. Peeta runs behind the counter and I follow him.

"Vick, Tyler, I need you in the back with me and Rory you and Katniss can open another cash register." Peeta says.

After the morning rush is over, I realize how hungry I am. Looking at the cases, I realize that there are no more breakfast sandwiches. I walk to the back, and wrap my arms around his torso.

"Hello, Mr Mellark,"I whisper in his ear as I draw circles on his back,"I noticed you were out of breakfast sandwiches, and I'm just dying to have one. I hope it's not too much trouble for you to make me one..."

"No trouble at all, ma'am,"he says with a smile,"just don't tell my wife." He turns around and kisses me.

"I'm sure she won't mind."

His lips find mine as he holds me to the counter.

"Ew, get a room love birds!" Johanna says.

"Hello, Johanna," Peeta says.

"Hello, bread boy. So are you ready to go, brainless?"She asks.

"Not yet, Peeta is making me a sandwich."

"Make me one too, bread boy!" Johanna says.

Peeta nods and starts to make them. When we are done eating, I kiss Peeta goodbye and then follow Johanna downtown.


	74. The Baby Shoppe

Katniss pov

Johanna and I walk downtown which is finally finished. She spots a Baby Shoppe and suggests we go there. This shop is nothing like the old one was. It is huge! As we walk through, I notice things they didn't have when I had Willow. Luckily Peeta persuaded me to keep all of our baby things. I didn't think that we would have another baby, I was happy with Willow and at first I didn't want another. But now I'm thankful that Peeta made sure we kept it all.

Johanna is starting to show a lot now. She's almost 7 months pregnant. She's still scared of losing the baby but the odds are a lot less now that she is in her third trimester. She had two miscarriages in two years.

She's having another boy. I know she was hoping for a girl, but it looks like she'll be having all boys.

"Do you see any block letters?" She asks.

I look around until I spot them. "Over there!"

"Good! I need an L and an H."

"L?"

"Yep, for Liam."

"Aww that's a cute name."

"Liam Rory Hawthorne. What about you? Do you have any ideas for a name?"

"I guess I just haven't thought about it. We decided before Willow was born that we would stick to the plant/bread theme. If it's a girl, a plant name, if it's a boy, a bread name. I don't know any yet."

As we look through the letters I finally spot an L. It's closer to Johanna so I point it out to her. Right as she reaches for it another hand grabs hold of it at the same time. Johanna makes eye contact with her and says,"I had this first. So I'd appreciate it if you let go."

The lady looks to be about 5 months pregnant.

"I grabbed it first, and my Lindsey needs it fir her future room,"the lady says.

"Listen lady, your stupid Lindsey will have to do without because I fucking had it first! And Lindsey is a fucking stupid name!"

"Canr be any worse then whatever monster you're having! I know who you are, you're that Johanna Mason. You're poor child has to deal with you as a mom, poor thing. I bet it will turn out just as fucked up as you!"

"For your information, Johanna is a way better mom then you'll ever be. So you can just shut the fuck up and leave." I say.

"Oh great, the mockingjay is stepping in! You're the last person who deserves to have a 'll probably die like that dumb sister of yours."

Those words make me freeze in my tracks. I don't even think, but the next thing I know, her nose is bloody and my fist is red. The L lays on the floor, long forgotten and I can feel Johanna pulling me away. But it's roo late, I can't stop the visions of Prim before the bomb went off.

I don't know how or when we left, but I'm in the bakery and I can hear Peeta calling my name. His hand is on my cheek and his eyes lock with mine.

"Katniss, please baby, come back to me."

"Peeta, it's all my fault."

"That lady deserved it."

"Prim. It's all my fault."

"Katniss, that's not your fault,"Peeta says as he caresses my hand. "That's not real."

I start to shake my head. The visions blurring.

"Katniss, focus on me. On what's real. I'm your husband, I'm real, Willow our daughter, she's real, our unborn child is real, Johanna, Gale, Aspen, and Aaron, they are all real. Think of Annie and Finn. Remember how much you love, Prim and Finnick. They died fighting for the future. Like for Willow and Finn. They loved you so much, and you know it's not your fault."

Peeta presses a kiss to my stomach and says,"remember how much I love you."

The tears start to flow from my eyes as Peeta pulls me into him. His hand is on my back, wrapped closely around me, and the other is behind my head, stroking my hair.

"Shhhh, it's okay, Katniss. It's okay,"Peeta says.

"I saw her,"I cry,"I watched as she died! I-I-Prim!"

Peeta holds me tightly as I cry. I can feel his own tears on my cheek. I didn't even realize that Johanna and Gale were in the room or that we are in the upstairs part of the bakery until I hear Johanna say,"we'll be downstairs if you need us."

"Okay,"Peeta says.

He runs his hand down my hair and says,"listen to me, Katniss. Prim died because of Snow. It wasn't your fault. And that lady deserved to be punched. She was way out of line."

I sigh and nod. There's a knock on the door. Peeta doesn't get up, he continues to hold me and says,"come in."

Rory pokes his head in and says,"there's someone here to see you two."

"Who is it?" Peeta asks.

"It's a Mr Norman Ronson?"

"Okay, I'll be with him in a minute. Will you get Johanna?"

"Sure, man."

Peeta pov

I kiss Katniss and convince her to rest in the bed she's sitting on. When I step out, Johanna is just reaching the top step.

"Do you think you could stay with her. I just want to make sure she's alright."

"Yeah, I have to talk to her anyways." She says and I nod.

I head downstairs to find a man in a suit and tie. He has a stern look on his face. "Are you Mr Ronson?" I ask.

"Yes."

"What can I do for you?"I ask in my professional friendly tone.

"I'd like to speak with you in private." He says.

"Okay, follow me to my office."

When we are in my office I turn to him and say,"what is it you'd like to speak to me about?" I don't know this man, but I have an idea about who he is.

"I want your wife to apologize to mine."

"Listen,"I say as I restrain a laugh,"it was wrong for Katniss to punch her, but your wife had it coming to her. With unnecessary comments like that, you can't possibly think she'd get away with them? She was out of line. So, I'm sorry but she's not going to apologize for that."

I watch as anger boils up in him. "We will be pressing charges then."

"Go ahead,"I say calmly,"I stand behind my decision."

"This is for my wife you asshole!"he says and before I know it, his fist is colliding with my eye. I stubble back a step, my vision going blurry. I don't cry out. My mom has punched me harder than he did. This is nothing.

Holding back all the anger bubbling inside, I say,"get out of my bakery." My fists are clenched and crossed over my chest.

"What? Is the big bad Victor afraid to fight me?"He taunts.

"I'm not going to ask you again. Get out of my bakery." I say trying to keep the hijacking at bay.

"Pussy!"he says,"what are you going to do?"

"I'm going to kick you out,"I say. He's twice my height and looks to be strong. I might need help. I grab him by the collar and drank him out of my office. "Hey, Gale, a little help?"I ask.

He runs over to the other side of him, dragging him out with me as he tries to get loose of our grip.

"You'll be hearing from us! You fucking prick!"

We literally throw him from the door. His pregnant wife runs over to his side and of course she has some words to say to us. She has a broken nose and bruises surrounding it. But we just go back inside. I hate having to do stuff like that in front of all the customers, but right now, I don't care.

"Whoa, man your eye is black!"Rory says.

"Yeah I got punched."

"Did you punch him back?"

"No."

"But why not? I would have popped him one right in the mouth!" Rory says.

"Rory, as much as I want to punch him, it's professional to not engage in his childish acts."

"Good for you, Peeta." Tyler says with a respectful nod.

"Do you want some ice for your eye?" Rory says.

"No, I'm okay. I just need to see my wife." I say and go upstairs.

"Who nice shiner!" Johanna says when I walk in,"how'd you get that?"

"It's a long story. I'll tell you later. Or I'm sure Gale can explain."

She nods and let's us be alone. Katniss is laying on the bed asleep. I take a seat next to her and run my fingers through her hair. She moans and rolls over to look at me, sleep still heavily weighing on her.

"What happened to your eye?" She asks as she sits up. Her hands going to my face.

"That lady's husband came in and wanted you to apologize. I told him you had every reason to react the way you did. He got mad and said that he will press charges."

"Press charges, Peeta-"

"Katniss, she was wrong and yeah you shouldn't have punched her, but she gave you a reason. So let them press all the charges they want. We can easily pay them. It doesn't matter what they say. "

"You're right. Let them do whatever. He also punched you so what can he even say if he did the same thing I did?"

"Exactly,"I say.

She leans in and kisses me on the lips. Then she runs a finger over my black eye. I wince when she touches it, which makes her frown more. "You need ice."

"I'm fine."

"No, Peeta. You need ice. I've never seen your eye so swollen!"

"I've had worse. One time my mom hit me with a candle holder. I had a black eye for so long, I was ready to wear an eye patch. Change my name to Pete the pirate."

"Well, I'm happy you didn't. I prefer Peeta over Pete the pirate any day."

"Yeah, I like it too."I say.

"Go get some ice,"she commands.

"Fine, but you should get some sleep. I'll wake you up in an hour?"

"Please."

I kiss her one last time before I go downstairs for some ice.


	75. You are dangerous

Peeta pov

I sit in my office. Katniss sleeps peacefully on the couch. She hasn't been getting very much sleep lately. Since Willow has been going to school and that whole thing with Mr. Ronson has happened, she doesn't like to leave my side. She takes Willow to school and then comes to the bakery so she can be with me. She even brought an extra bow to keep here.

I'm not going to lie, I prefer to have her here with me. I don't like her to be alone and even though I know she loves the woods, I really don't want her to go while she pregnant, but that's not something I would restrain her from. It's her get away, and it reminds her of her father, just as my bakery does for me.

I look over the mail. Mostly bills. That's when the phone starts to ring. I pick it up quickly, so it doesn't wake Katniss up. I glance over to see if it woke her, but to my relief, it didn't.

"Hello?"I say.

"Hello, Mr. Mellark, it's been a while,"President Paylor says.

"Madam President, it's an honor,"I say.

I have business that concerns you and your wife, is she there?" She asks.

"She is asleep right now, but I can wake her if it's necessary. Would you like me to do so?"I ask hoping it's not that important, but yet again, why would the President be calling me if it wasn't important?

"I'm afraid it is. I will be transferring to the video call while you wake her."

"Okay,"I say.

I set down the phone and go to wake Katniss up. The tv lights up as the phone call is transferred. I bend over the couch and shake her.

"Katniss, wake up."

Her arms wrap around my neck in a death grip as she pulls me to her. "Katniss, wake up!"I say again.

Her eyes flutter open and she smiles at me.

"The President is on the phone for us."I say.

"What?" She asks confused as she shoots up.

She looks to the tv where President Paylor stands waiting patiently.

We both stand in front of the monitor and Katniss says,"Madame President, what a surprise."

"Hello, Mrs Mellark,"she says politely,"congratulations to you both."

"Thank you,"we say in unison.

"But that's not what I'm calling for. A certain issue has come to my attention. I have been notified about a complaint that has to do with the ruling years ago, the one that released your ban to district twelve. I am aware that you punched a pregnant woman."

Katniss slowly nods, her jaw tight.

"There are complaints regarding your mental state. People believe that you are unstable."

Katniss slowly shakes her head. "She provoked me. I would never just punch someone just to do it. There was a reason. Johanna is a witness."

"People are questioning the stableness of all the victors. Many council members are questioning the reliability of them."

"Are you saying we can't be trusted? Are we a bunch of untrustworthy liers?" I ask.

"That's not a call I can make." She says.

"We save all of Panem, and now we are being questioned on how reliable and trustworthy we are? Are we a 'danger' to society?!"I say angrily.

I can feel Katniss' arms wrap around mine. I can feel the small bump against my arm as she leans on me.

"I do not see you as a danger, but others do."

"Can't you over rule them? You're our president."I say.

"That is not how our government works, Mr. Mellark. It is not a dictatorship or a totalitarian state. We are a democracy." She says sternly.

"So what's happening?" Katniss asks.

"There is going to be a trial. A representative is going to be sent there undercover to watch you guys, you will not know when they are coming, but know they are watching."

"This is absurd!"I say,"after all we've been through, we can't just be left alone? We went through two hunger games, a hijacking, and a war, these people don't understand."

"That is why they are concerned, because of your past. And the fact that your wife punched someone." She says.

"We can handle-"

"There is no argument, Mr. Mellark." She says.

"Yes, Madame President."I say.

"Then it's all clear," she says," goodbye Mr. and Mrs. Mellark." Then the screen goes black.

I grip my fists and try to calm down.

_Your wife is right next to you. Your pregnant wife, who loves you. Please don't go into a flashback. Calm yourself, Peeta. Don't go mutt. Don't go mutt. Don't go mutt. Don't-_

"Peeta,"I hear her voice call. He hand grips my arm as she continues to call my name. I break away from her grasp and run out of my office and upstairs. I lock the door behind me and then sit against the door, my fingers grasping my hair.

My mind flashes back to district thirteen.

_I'm tied up to the bed in the hospital, staring at the door and fighting my restraints, when it opens. President Coin steps in along with a doctor who has been in here every day._

_"What happened to him?" She asks the doctor._

_"Hijacking. Tracker Jacker venom and torture. He's dangerous, and u recommend that you keep your distance."_

_Dangerous._

The word is burned into my brain.

Like its etched into the very fabric of my being. I am dangerous.

I am a danger to my wife and children.

"Peeta, please open up!" Katniss pleads.

I am a danger.

"Peeta!" Katniss cries. "Please, Peeta, open this door."

I can feel the bumping of the door as she bangs on it.

I start to cry as I fight the visions. I can faintly hear Johanna's and Annie's screams. I can see the blood on the floor, the cell that held me, and the white pristine rooms where my torture happened.

I let out a tortured scream as I lay on the floor. The shiny memories coming back. I can just barely hear Rory comforting Katniss on the other side of the door.

_You are dangerous._

I hear those three words before I black out.


	76. The kissing hand

Katniss pov

I wait and wait for Peeta to open up the door, but he doesn't and eventually I have to get Willow from school. My world lightens up as soon as I see her. She runs to me with her backpack on her back, and a piece of paper in her hands.

"Mommy!" She says excitedly as she runs to hug my legs. I bend down and hug her and ask,"how was school?"

"I made a picture!"

"Oh wow! Can I see?"

"Mmhmm,"she says nodding and then holds it up for me.

The picture is of all three of us. Only 4 years old and she's already drawing people and not stick figures. She definitely has Peeta's talent. "Wow, Willow, this is amazing!" She smiles brightly at me.

I take her hand and we walk to the bakery.

"Where's daddy?"She asks as soon as we get to the bakery.

"Let me go get him, okay?"

"Okay!"

Rory walks up and starts to play with Willow while I go get Peeta. He is still in the room. I start to knock on the door. It's silent behind the door. My veins go ice cold. "Peeta, please open the door. Willow wants to see her dad, so please come out."

I hear movement from behind the door, and the sound of the lock being unlocked calms me instantly. He opens the door and I will admit that he looks horrible. The room behind him is in disarray. Like a hurricane blew through it.

His eyes are red and his hair is a mess. I go to move my fingers through his hair but he flinches like a kicked puppy. "Peeta,"I say sadly. He looks at his hands and sighs. "Are you in enough control to be by your daughter?" I ask.

He slowly shakes his head and walks to the bathroom. I sigh and walk back downstairs. Willow sits on the counter and plays with some paper figurine. "What is that?"I ask Rory.

"It's Origami. An old art for that my mom taught me. It's just kinda something I do when I'm bored..."

"It's a... crane?"

"Yeah." He looks embarrassed, but I think it's cool.

"Wow, this is really cool. It's done with paper?"

"Yeah it's paper folding,"he says as his face turns red.

"What do you say, Willow?"I ask her.

"Thank you, Rory."

"No prob, squirt." He says as he messes up her hair. She laughs and reaches to do the same with his hair.

"Ready to do your homework?"I ask her.

She hands me the paper that tells me what to do for her homework. Today she has to read an assigned book with me. I pick her up and set her on the floor. She runs to a booth that has become our homework booth.

She sits on my lap so she can reach the table and opens the book.

"The kah-i-sss-e-n-g hhh-a-nn-duh." She says as she sounds out the word.

"The kissing hand." I say with a smile.

We read the story together and when she's done, she looks up at me and says,"can I see daddy now?"

I bite my lip, contemplating whether he's okay or not. I decide to take her upstairs to check on him. She sees him before I do, and takes off running towards him. "Daddy!" She says as she runs to hug his leg.

He smiles down at her. His eyes are still red, but his hair and clothes are back in the right place. "How was school, pumpkin?" His voice is scratchy and weak.

"I read in class! And with mommy!"

She takes his hand and kisses the Palm like in the book and closes it. She explains how the raccoons did this so that they always felt the love of their mother when they were away.

Peeta smiles as she holds his hand to his heart. He takes her hand and presses a kiss to her palm. He closes her hand and holds it to her heart. That's when Peeta notices me at the door.

He shyly smiles at me and pats the spot next to him. I walk over and sit next to him. He apologizes with his eyes as he stares into mine. He opens my hand and presses a kiss to my palm. He closes my hand and covers it with his.

He leans in to kiss me and says,"I love you."

"I love you too."

Peeta decides that it's best if he goes home instead of being at the bakery. He tells his employees this and says that he will pay them extra for taking over the rest of the night. Of course they understand, they understood when we hired them that there would be moments like this. They're a great group too. They're like family.

As we watch Willow play, I start to feel myself getting sick. I barely make it to the sink before emptying everything in my stomach. Peeta is there instantly, rubbing my back and holding my hair.

"Why is mommy sick?" She asks Peeta.

"You know how we told you that she has a baby growing in her tummy? Well, it makes mommy sick sometimes." He says.

"That's not nice!" She says.

"Well, the baby doesn't know that it's doing this to mommy." He says.

I rinse out my mouth and then go to brush my teeth. When I'm done,I go to Peeta and wrap my arms around his waist. He holds me to him and kisses my forehead. His warm arms comfort me in my state of exhaustion.

"You should lay down, love,"Peeta says.

"But what about-"I yawn.

"Don't worry about it, I got it. You just need to lay down and sleep. Maybe Willow can lay down with you. I nod and ask Willow if she wants to take a nap too. She does, which isn't surprising. I haven't had many problems with getting her to take naps.

Peeta decides to come and lay with us too. He lays on his side of the bed with Willow in between us.

"I love you,"he says to me.

"I love you too."

We both glance down at our sleeping daughter and smile. She's our little angel.

I kiss her forehead, then drift off to a dreamless sleep.


	77. Pancakes and phone calls

A/N *SPOILERS READ AT RISK UNTIL THE LINE* so who saw mockingjay?! Omg I loved it! I have to say, that is my second favorite movie. Catching fire being my first. I loved it so much I can't get over how great Josh Hutcherson portrayed Mutt Peeta! And that Hayffie kiss! Loved it all!

* * *

I'm going to do another Peeta pov because I've gotten some good feedback about it. I also have one more ANNOUNCEMENT. This story is less than 50 reviews away from being at 400! So help me get to 400 REVIEWS before the NEW YEAR! :) as always, I love you all!

Peeta pov

I wake up to see two bright blue eyes looking back at me. "Morning, daddy,"she whispers. I smile at my beautiful daughter and pull her into a hug which makes her squeal. I have to remind her to be quiet because Katniss still sleeping. I get up, scooping Willow up along with me and make my way out of the room.

"Wanna help me make breakfast?"I ask my daughter.

"Yeah!"

"Okay, race you to the kitchen!"I say and set her on the floor. She takes off running towards the kitchen as soon as her feet hit the floor. I jog after her, and a smile lights up my face when I see her proud smile.

"Beat you daddy!"

"I guess you did!"I say shrugging. The smile on my face never wavers for a second. She climbs the chair next to the island, and then looks at me, waiting.

"What do you think we should make for mommy this morning?" I ask her.

"Pancakes!" She says excitedly.

"Okay, what kind?"

"Chocolate chip!"

"You think just like your mom,"I say with a laugh.

I glance at the clock on the wall. It's 7:02. "Lets go get grandpa Haymitch."

"Okay!" She says as she slips down from the chair. I put on my shoes and so does she. Through her protest, I make her put on a coat. I slip a sweater over my bare chest, and then take her hand. We walk across the street to Haymitch's house.

I don't bother knocking.

When we walk in, we find that he is asleep at the table. Robbie, his cat that he rescued, is walking across the counter, knocking off things. Trouble, just like Haymitch. Even after all these years, he refuses to sleep in a bed at night. But at least now there are no beer bottles everywhere. But I guess old habits die hard. Like how Katniss still hunts even though there is no need. And I still have days where I have to ask real or not real out of habit.

Willow stands by the table while I walk over to Haymitch. The cat jumps down from the counter and runs over to her. She's learned not to get close when we wake Haymitch up. I shake his shoulder but he doesn't budge. I shove him nearly pushing him off the chair. He springs up with his knife in hand. I dodge it as usual until he comes to his senses.

"What do you want?" He asks.

"We came to invite you to breakfast."

"Oh, okay,"he mumbles.

He puts his knife back in his pocket and then looks to Willow. He smiles when he sees her and opens his arms for her. She runs to his arms and hugs him.

"Hey, sweetheart,"he says.

"Hi, grandpa Haymitch!"

When we get back to my house, Haymitch pours himself a cup of coffee. I set Willow on the counter next to the bowl so she can help me. "What are we havin'?" Haymitch asks.

"Chocolate chip pancakes!" Willow says.

He smiles at Willow and says,"that sounds good."

He can deny it all he wants, but he's grown soft ever since we've had Willow.I don't doubt that he can kick someone's ass in a second, but he's definitely grown soft.

I help Willow measure out everything and then let her pour the ingredients into the clear mixing bowl. I catch her sneaking a chocolate chip and take one myself, holding my finger up to my mouth and whispering,"shhh, we won't tell mommy. It'll be our little secret."

She giggles and nods.

I cover her hand with mine and help her mix the batter. As I'm pouring batter onto the hot pan, I feel arms wrap around me and a head resting on my back. The earthy smell of trees that follows her hits my nose, comforting me instantly.

Katniss sighs contently as she presses kisses to my back. I drop the spoon in the bowl and turn in her arms. My hand brushes the hair from her face to rest behind her ear. My hand finds its place on her cheek as I lower my head to hers.

Her arms tighten around me, pulling me closer as I kiss her. I still get butterflies in my stomach when I kiss her, even after all these years of being with her. How this girl has me so weak at the knees, I still can't comprehend, but that just makes it that much better.

"Good morning,"I say with a boyish smile.

"It is indeed a good morning," she says with a grin.

"Euckh- are you two ever not so cheesy? It's disgusting,"Haymitch interjects.

I shake my head.

"Damn star crossed lovers,"he grumbles.

Katniss shoots him a pointed look because he cursed in front of Willow.

"What's for breakfast?" Katniss asks me.

"Chocolate chip pancakes,"I say with a smile.

"Oooh! That sounds wonderful, Peeta,"her eyes are filled with happiness, love, and a little bit of lust as she looks into mine. She looks like she could attack me right now. These hormones of her have been everywhere lately. She goes from not wanting to be near me to wanting to be all over me, and then wanting to run away and cry. It's a little confusing sometimes, and I have to remind myself that it's her hormones.

Sometimes it's hard because I caused this.

She wraps her arms around me and starts to kiss me fiercely.

"Katniss,"I say during the kiss,"Willow and Haymitcht- they're here."

She pulls back and looks extremely embarrassed. The smell of burnt bread hits my noes and I remember the pancakes left on the stove. I quickly turn to see two black circles.

"Sorry," Katniss says sheepishly.

"It's okay,"I say, still slightly dazed.

I scrape them, and start again.

When the pancakes are done, I serve them to everyone, and join them at the table.

"Mmmm, these are delicious!" Katniss moans as she scarfs down the pancakes. One hand rests on her growing stomach, making me smile.

* * *

A week passes without any disturbance from anything. Until one morning, while Katniss is taking a shower, the phone rings. I answer it saying,"Hello?"

"Hello, is this Mr Peeta Mellark?"

"This is him...?" I say confused. Not many people refer to me as Mr Peeta Mellark.

"Hello, I am Joseph Bernard, I am apart of the Court. I'm calling to inform you and your wife about the court date."

My eyes widen in realization. "Oh,"I try to say calmly.

"You two will be needed this Sunday, at the justice building in 12."

"Okay,"I say, my breathing becoming shallow.

"Okay, see you Sunday at 2."He says and hangs up.

I barely get the phone back in its place before I drop to the floor. This is real. This is happening.

_Katniss is dangerous._

_Not real._

_She punched a pregnant woman._

_Real._

_The lady deserved it._

_Real._

_I'm dangerous._

"Not real," I hear Katniss say.

I didn't even know she was there, let alone that I was speaking.

"You are not dangerous,"she says taking my hands out of my hair and holding them in hers.

"It's not real, Peeta,"she says as she holds me closer to her. My arms wrap around her waist, my head is on her chest. She has her arms around me, her wet hair falls on my cheek.

My hand moves from her back to her stomach. She giggles lightly in my ear and moves my hand to the bottom part of her stomach. I feel a soft flutter against my hand and I gasp.

"Did you feel it?" She asks.

"Yes, oh my God,"I breathe.

Her hand covers mine and moves it to another spot.

"It might be an elbow,"she says rubbing a spot left of her belly button. I press my hand there and feel the flutter she is talking about. She kisses my cheek and then helps me up.

"What caused you to break?" I ask.

"We have a court date. This Sunday at 2 we have to go to the justice building." I tell her. Her face falls when she hears this news. She wraps her arms around my waist and rests her head on my chest.

"I just want this all to be over," she sighs.

"I know. Me too."


	78. Exciting Court

Katniss pov

I wake up in a terrible mood. Today is the court day. I roll over and find the bed cold next to me. Peeta is already up. I get into the shower and try to calm my anxious mind. I don't even hear Peeta come in. It's not until I feel his arms around me that I know he's here.

I lean back into him and try to forget everything. His arms hold me close to him as we both try to calm down. Who knows what today brings? He kisses my cheek and then helps me wash my hair.

As we get dressed, Peeta tries to comfort me with his words. Sadly they do little to help. After we eat, we drop Willow off with Haymitch. When we get to the justice building, I'm practically ran over by Johanna, Gale close behind her.

"Brainless!" She says as she wraps an arm around me.

"Johanna, what are you doing here?"I ask.

"I'm a witness, so they need me, yada yada yada... I honestly don't care about it, but if it gets you in the clear, hell yeah I'll be here. I could have given them some bullshit excuse about my kids or something."

"Thanks, Jo." I say.

"Look who's shooting daggers our way," Johanna say with a smirk.

I turn to meet eyes with the bitch who caused all this. She scowls at me. 'Bitch, I am the queen of scowling.' I think to myself.

I watch as Johanna gives her a classic Johanna grin and waves at her. She simply rolls her eyes and turns away. "Notice anything different about her?" Johanna asks.

"Yeah, she's not pregnant anymore."I say.

"Exactly, which means there's nothing holding me back from beating the living shit out of her. Nothings in my way." She says with a wicked grin.

"As much as I would love that, I really don't want you to end up in jail, so it's best if you just leave it. And don't worry, if this doesn't go well, well Peeta knows a lot of people, in fact, a lot of people love him. It wouldn't take much to run them out of town."

"I'd do it in a heartbeat," Peeta says.

"Plus you all are victors, let alone, the star crossed lovers, there are plenty of people who are behind you on everything. You guys still have fans." Gale says.

We are cut off by an announcement asking everyone to make there way to their seats in the courtroom. We are shown to our seats and then wait. A judge walks out and says,"Hello, I'm judge Taylor. The way this works is, a case is presented to me, two undercover officials will say what they have witnessed over the weeks and we will call witnesses. Then a jury will decide the fate of this case."

"This case is about Katniss Mellark punching Janelle Ronson. First we are going to hear from, Justin Houten."

"I've been watching the Mellarks for a few weeks. They have not shown any signs of violence. In fact, they have been nice to me every time I went into the bakery. But there was one thing I saw, I saw Mr. Ronson walk in and he walked up to an employee and demanded to see Mr. Mellark."

"He went in and a few minutes later I saw Peeta dragging him from his office. Peeta had a black eye. He called for the help of Mr. Hawthorne. They threw him out and many nasty words came from Mr. Ronson and his wife. After, one of his employees asked him about his eye. He said that he was punched. Then he was asked if he punched him back, and he replied no."

"Now we will hear from a witness from the day," the judge says," Johanna Mason Hawthorne."

She walks up to the stand and raises her hand to the bible saying that she will tell the truth. Then she is asked to "relive the day".

"Well, if you haven't noticed or you're just a bunch of retards-"

"Strike that from the record,"the judge says. She rolls her eyes.

"I'm Pregnant, and not fat. And so is Katniss, so were at the Baby Shoppe. I was looking for an L and when I finally found one, this bitch-" she points to Janelle.

"Mrs Hawthorne," the judge says sternly.

"Oh, I'm sorry,"she says in a fake apologetic voice. The says,"this bitch, tries to fight us for it. Then she said, oh what was it? Oh yeah! She said we are 'fucked up moms' and then she talked about Prim, which was really fucked up. You don't talk about someone's dead sister!"

"Did anything else happen?"

"That's when Katniss punched her. I had to pull her away actually, which is really surprising. I had to take her out of the store, I mean normally I would have just let her beat the shit out of her, but I know that Katniss wouldn't be happy with herself if something terrible happened. So I took her to her husband at the bakery. He had to calm her down, I mean I don't know what she was seeing, although I can guess, but she was out of it."

"Thank you, Mrs Hawthorne. You can go back to your seat."

Peeta's arm tightens around me.

"Now we are going to hear from, Ms Clearwater."

Seriously! Of course she's a witness!

"So tell us what you saw that day,"the man asks her.

"Well, I was shopping for things for the baby that he impregnated me with,"she says pointing to Peeta. I just roll my eyes and Peeta glares at her with hatred, and Peeta doesn't hate easily. "When I say Mrs Hawthorne and Mrs Ronson arguing. Then I saw Mrs Mellark walk up to her and punch her. She continued to beat her until I threw myself in graciously and took Mrs Ronson away from her monstrous activity. I was too concerned about Mrs Ronson to see anything else."

"Hey! No that's not what happened!" Johanna yells, standing up,"she only hit her once! That's bullshit!"

"Mrs Hawthorne, please sit down,"the judge says.

"But that is fucking bullshit! That's not- oh shit," her face drops and a look of terror is in her eyes,"oh shit, oh shit, oh shit!" She clutches her stomach and groans,"no not now!"

"Is there a problem ma'am?" A guy asks.

Johanna turns to him in anger,"I'm only in fucking labor!"

"What?!" Gale says hopping out of his seat.

"Oh fuck!" Johanna yells as Gale pulls her away from the room.

"I'm sorry, brainless!" She says.

"It's okay, Johanna. Go have your baby. We'll be there when we can."

She throws me a painful thumbs up and walks out.

* * *

Half an hour passes but it feels like 3 hours. But finally they come to a verdict. "Okay, it's time to hear from the jury." Judge Taylor says.

"The jury finds both side guilty of assault. Katniss Mellark is guilty of punching Janelle Ronson, and Norman Ronson is guilty of punching Peeta Mellark. As punishment, they are banished to their own districts for a year."

I look at Peeta worried.

"Katniss Everdeen Mellark is banished to district 12 for a year. And Janelle Ronson is banished to district 2. The papers will be sent out tomorrow. You have a week. You are dismissed."

When we get out Peeta holds me. "It's only for a year," he says. I nod but choke back tears.

"You only got out of it because you're famous!" Janelle yells as she walks out. Her husband glares at us as he takes her down the street.

"We need to get to the house!"I say remembering Johanna.

When we get to the house, we hear the scream. Annie comes down and greet us. She came the middle of this week. We follow Annie upstairs to the room where Johanna lays in pain clutching Gale's hand. I can't tell who's in more pain, Johanna or Gale.

"Get this fucking thing out of me!" She yells.

"Time to check,"Annie says. Johanna groans and spreads her legs so Annie can check her. Annie has become a midwife since my mom moved to four. "You're only at 6 centimeters."

"Ugh! How did I do this two times before?!"

"Think of the beautiful baby that will be in your arms," Gale says.

Johanna nods and says,"I'm done after this one! No more kids!"

"I thought you wanted a girl?" He asked.

"I don't think I'll get it, I'm done. I don't want to do this again!"

This brings back painful memories of giving birth, which will happen in 6 months. One of the happiest and most painful day of my life. Johanna catches sight of Peeta and I and she says,"brainless!" Her face lights up.

"How'd it go?"She asks.

"I'm banished to 12 for a year."

"What?!" She says angrily as she sits up. Gale slowly pushes her back down to the bed. "What the fuck!"

"That's not all though, the Ronsons got banished back to 2."

She smiles and let's out her Johanna cackle,"now you're talkin'! That's great! Oh man, that's great!"

She lets out a grunt of pain and closes her eyes. "Now if I could just get this thing out of me, everything would be great!"

"It's kind of funny, last time you gave birth, it was in this room and I was pregnant then too. Only this time there's only one you'll be having."

"Except last time I got drugs!"

"Johanna, those aren't safe." Annie says. "You are fully dilated anyways. Katniss, I need you to support her back, Peeta and Gale, hold her hands."

"Not this again,"both boys mumble knowing the pain from before.

"Push!"

"Shh-Shhiiiittt!" Johanna cries.

It only takes three pushes and Liam is born.

He is nine inches and seven pounds. And perfectly healthy. He could be Gale's twin, he look exactly like him but as a baby, of course. Peeta wraps his arms around me and smiles. His hand lands on my stomach protectivly and lovingly.

Haymitch comes in with all three kids. The boys run to their dad. Gale picks them both up in his arms and holds them so they can see their new brother. "Meet Liam Rory Hawthorne, boys he's your brother."

"Whoa,"Aspen says,"he's so pink!"

"And tiny,"Aaron says.

Willow is in Peeta's arms looking at her cousin. After Johanna feeds him and Gale gets to hold him, he passes the baby to me. I smile at my newest nephew. He sleeps peacefully, his little mouth in an O. I can't help but smile. After a few minutes, I pass him over to Peeta who was eagerly waiting.

His smile is bright as he hold his nephew. He looks to me and smiles. The baby snores in his arms and it makes us chuckle. Johanna smiles at us and says,"I can't wait to hold your baby, brainless."

I smile at her and say,"I'm proud of you, Jo."

"'C'mere, brainless,"she says and pulls me in for a hug. I hug her back and say"thanks for everything today."

"Anytime,"she sleepily says.

"We should let you rest. Call us if you need anything,"I tell them.

"Thank you, catnip," Gale says.

As we walk home, Peeta places a hand on my stomach and says,"I can't wait to see our little one."

"Me too."


	79. Christmas pt 1

A/N time for a Christmas special! I know Christmas is like three weeks away, but whatever, I'm posting it now! I hope everyone has a fantastic Christmas! :) (a great Christmas present would be to get me to 400 reviews) just saying...

Katniss pov

It's officially Christmas season. It has started to snow, Willow is on a break, and now it's time to prepare for the holiday. Peeta says the bakery is busier than ever! The season always brings customers. I could barely get in the door when I went this morning. Rory literally had to pull me through.

But this season has its down falls too. Christmas time brings the reminder that I don't have my sister to share it with. And with more customers at the bakery, Peeta has more work and more stress. He's such a great boss too, he makes sure that all his employees are gone the week of Christmas but he stays open until the day before Christmas eve, pays them more for the month because of how crazy it is, and sends them with treats for their families. And doesn't open for the rest of the week. He works alone for a few days during the busiest time of the season, and manages to get through all of his orders by noon on Christmas eve. All the while being a wonderful father and husband.

So I decide to do something nice for him. Today is the first day he starts to work alone. He is out making deliveries, while I manage the bakery. I decide to close the bakery, leaving Peeta with only a few orders that I took from customers and tell everyone we are closing for the holidays.

It's around lunchtime and Peeta should be back in an hour or two. I cook a hopefully delicious lunch and light candles. I close the blinds and turn down the lights. I set up a table with a white cloth and candles. I set the table with plates and silverware, glasses and a pitcher of water. I take a seat because my back is killing me, and wait for Peeta. I hear the sound of the back door opening as Peeta steps in.

"Katniss?" He says.

"In here,"I call to him.

As he walks through he says,"what happened? Did the power go out?"

Is smile and shake my head. "Nope."

"Then why-"

I silence him with a kiss and lead him to sit down.

"Peeta, you overwork yourself. You do so many amazing things for everyone. You let your employees stay home while you work during the busiest time of the tear, you take on every possible customer and get them their order as soon as possible and perfectly do it, all the while being a wonderful husband and father. I took a few orders and then closed the bakery. And this is staying closer for the rest of the week. Peeta you need to relax for once in your life. You can finish the orders you have, but you need to relax. You always get so stressed this time of year, and I hate to see you that way. This should be a nonstressful time."

He smiles at me in the candlelight.

"Katniss,"he says my name with love and adoration,"you are so amazing, you know that right? You do these thoughtful things, and you think of me and my well being. I love you so much, Katniss." He takes my hand in his and kisses my knuckles.

"Thank you, love,"he says.

I scoot closer to him in the booth. He wraps an arm around my waist and pulls me to him. I lay my head on his shoulder and kiss where my lips fall. "I love you." I say.

"I love you too, Katniss."

* * *

Peeta finishes the orders within a day, leaving the rest of the week to us. Which is so good because I need his help with Christmas. We hold Christmas at our house. Haymitch gets Thanksgiving, and Johanna has Easter. We decided to start splitting the holidays up. It was hard having everything at our house. We still help each other, though.

We have so much to do!

We need to get table decorations and we need to get everything for dinner and snacks. And most importantly, things for Willow! She's been so good this year. Haymitch comes over with Effie who is staying with him for this week. Every year we go out to the forest and cut down a tree together.

Effie and Haymitch walk hand in hand next to Peeta and I. I don't know exactly what their relationship is, but it works for them. Peeta and I walk with Willow between us. She holds both of our hands.

When we get to an area where there are several smaller trees, we let go of her hands and let her play in the snow that has fallen. I'm watching my daughter make a snowman with her father, when I get hit by a snowball.

I turn to Haymitch who is looking innocent. Too innocent. "You're gonna get it, Abernathy!"I say playfully.

"What do you mean? I did nothing!" He says while he tries to contain a smile.

I reach to the ground and scoop up some snow. Before he can react, he is hit with a snowball. I laugh along with Effie who almost chokes on her hot chocolate. I scoop up another snowball and throw it at Peeta.

The snow catches in his hair and he gets a huge smirk on his face. Almost an evil grin. He stands up and walks towards me. I start to back up with every step he takes. He takes off after me and instantly has me in his arms. He attacks me with kisses and tickles me.

His leg slips and we tumble to the ground. I land on top of him and he starts to laugh. "Remember when I slipped before the tour. It ended up like this." He says.

"Only this time the kiss is real,"I say and lean down to kiss him with all the passion and love I can muster.

"Okay, love birds, let's find a tree," Haymitch says. Peeta helps me stand up. And we find a tree that is perfect for the house. We get a picture of Willow and Peeta holding the saw to the tree. Then we get pictures while Peeta and Haymitch saw the tree.

After, Peeta and Haymitch drag the tree back to the house and put it up. Together we decorate it with homemade ornaments and bought ones. Peeta and Willow created so many ornaments for the tree this month.

I pick up my favorite one. It's a picture of the three of us that Peeta painted on an ornament. It's beautiful and looks just like us. This is the most important ornament on the tree. I place it right in the front where everyone can see.

Peeta smiles at me as I hang it.

"I love this the most," I say to him.

"I love you the most,"he says.

"I was talking about ornaments,"I say with a smile.

He smiles,"I know. But I still love you the most."

I lean in and kiss him. "Eww!" Willow says.

"Eww is right,"Haymitch says.

* * *

The next morning, Peeta and I go searching for decorations. We get the table decorations and find some toys and art supplies for Willow. She is so talented, she is going to love it!

I can't wait to see the look on her face when she opens her presents. It always makes me so happy. And I know Peeta loves it too.

The days pass slowly, but finally Christmas Eve is here. Every year, we have all our "family" over and Peeta reads the night before Christmas and we open up a present, which is always pyjamas.

Everyone comes over in their pyjamas. Willow sits on Peeta's lap as she opens her present. They are pyjamas with little foxes on them. They are so adorable! She runs up and puts them on, then runs down.

She sits on Peeta's lap as he reads to all the kids who sit next to him on the couch. The baby kicks me as he reads to us. I sip my hot chocolate and smile at my husband. Johanna leans against Gale with Liam sleeping in her arms.

I sit criss cross on the floor propped up by my hands and some pillows. When Peeta finishes, he says,"oh! It's 9 o'clock, Santa will pass the house if you aren't in bed..."

"Mom, dad, we gotta get home! Santa is coming!" Aaron and Aspen say.

Johanna smiles and says,"alright, alright! Jeez, calm down."

Gale smiles at his kids and says,"say bye and thank you to your uncle and aunt."

They jump up and hug Peeta, then me,"thanks, Uncle Peeta, Aunt Katniss!"

"Bye boys,"I say with a smile.

"See you tomorrow,"Peeta says.

Willow hugs Johanna and Gale before they leave, too. Then she runs to get the cookies and milk to set out. Peeta gets up and is about to go upstairs to tuck her in when I go,"eh-hem!"

"What-"he turns and then realizes that I can't stand up on my own." He runs to help me up and says,"you can't sit on the floor like that, Katniss."

"There wasn't room-"

"Any of us would have happily moved for you."He says.

Willow has already ran up the stairs and is in bed by the time we get to her room. We tuck her in and kiss her forehead. "Love you, mommy and daddy."

"We love you too,"we say together.

"Goodnight, pumpkin,"Peeta says as he turns the light off.

When we get downstairs, Peeta picks up the cookie and holds it up to my mouth to feed it to me. I take a bite and moan at the deliciousness. I pick up the other cookie and do the same to him. I kiss him, and then we eat the rest of the cookies and drink the milk.

We pull out all the presents and then make our way up to our beds.


	80. Christmas pt 2

A/N I hope this chapter turns out good because I partied last night and I only got 4 hours of sleep. But somehow I am awake right now and I'm going to write this chapter! Also, this story is 4 reviews away from 400! I hope everyone has an amazing Christmas and New Year! Merry Christmas!

Katniss pov

I wake up to Willow shaking me. "Mommy, daddy, wake up! It's Christmas!" I hear Peeta groan as he sits up and he says,"merry Christmas, pumpkin." Our rule is that Wilow has to come wake us up before she goes downstairs. Then we all go down together.

I sit up and slowly get out of bed. Peeta wraps his arms around me and presses a kiss to my temple. "Merry Christmas, Katniss,"he says.

"Merry Christmas, Peeta,"I say.

Willow grabs our hands and pulls us from our room. She runs down the stairs with us following her. She screams happily when she sees what 'santa' brought her. Willow loves these dolls called Barbies, so we got her a big Barbie house. "I love it!" She says as she runs to it. She points to the plate that had the cookie on it and says,"Santa ate the cookie!"

"Look there's a note,"I say.

"Why don't you read it, Willow?" Peeta says.

She picks up the note and reads,"Willow, you ha-ve b-b," I go over with her and help her read it. It says,"Willow, you have been a very good girl this year and deserve all the toys you wanted. Keep up the good work and be good for your mom, dad, and the baby. Merry Christmas, -Santa."

"Wow! Santa left me a note?!"

"Yep." Peeta says. "Are you ready to open up your other presents and your stocking?"

"Yeah!"

Peeta unhooks the stocking from the fireplace and hands it to her. She has bows and clips in it, along with crayons, markers, and candy. She opens up her presents of coloring books, clothes, and toys next. She seems very happy with all of her presents.

Peeta hands me a carefully wrapped present. He has a very happy and proud look on his face. I smile at him and take it into my hands. "It's so pretty, I don't want to tear it."

"You'll like it better when it is teared."

I open it up to find a beautifully painted picture of everyone I love. Peeta has Willow in his arms and I stand next to them, a hand on my stomach. Haymitch stands with an arm around Effie, next to us. On the other side is Johanna, Gale, and their three kids. Annie and Finn are also in the picture, along with mom. In the back, slightly higher then everyone else is, Prim, Finnick, Rue, Cinna, and my father. Finnick stands by his family, my dad by my mom. Prim, who has Buttercup in her arms, stands next to him. Cinna and Rue stand near Effie and Haymitch.

Tears stream down my checks.

"It's beautiful,"I cry. I wrap my arms around my husband and pull him to me for a sloppy kiss. "I love it, Peeta. I love you."

"I love you too,"he says.

"I see me!" Willow says.

I prop the picture up and sit next to it. "Yup, and look there's Grandpa Haymitch and Grandma Effie. And Auntie Johanna and Uncle Gale-"

"Who's that?" She asks pointing to my dad.

"That is your grandpa. He's my dad. He died when I was young. He would have loved you so much, baby. I wish you would have gotten to meet him."

"Who's this?" She points to Finnick.

"That is Finnick, Finn's dad. He died before Finn was born. He was married to Auntie Annie. He would be your uncle, and a good one he would have been."

She points to Prim next.

"Prim... She was my little sister. She died around the same time Finnick did. I miss her so much, she would have had so much fun with you. She's your aunt."

"She's pretty."

"She was really pretty,"I say matter of factly. I smile at my daughter through the tears.

"Why you cry, mommy?"

"I miss them so much."

She gets up and hugs me and my heart melts at the notion. "I love you so much,"I tell her.

"I love you too, mommy,"she says.

I get up and put the picture on the mantle of the fireplace so everyone will be able to see. Then I pick up my present for Peeta and bring it to him. "Mine isn't as beautiful as yours, but I think you'll like it."

He smiles at me and opens it. He opens the box to find a sweater I made myself. It took a lot of help from Annie to make and a lot of tries, but eventually I finished it. It's dark blue. There's also a watch the he's been wanting.

It's amazing z Katniss. Did you make this?"

"Yeah, with the help of Annie."

He pulls off his sweater that he was wearing, exposing his muscular chest and then puts on the sweater. Annie was right with the measurements. He makes him look extremely handsome.

"Thank you, Katniss. It's perfect. I'll wear it today, along with this,"he says and holds up the watch. "I love you."

"I love you too, Peeta."

Soon Haymitch comes over with Effie. I get Willow dressed and then send her downstairs to play with her toys with Haymitch and Effie. I take a quick shower with Peeta and then stand in my closet trying to decide what I'm going to wear.

Peeta wraps his arms around me from behind and kisses my cheek. "I don't know what to wear!"I say.

"I have another surprise for you." He says.

"What-"

He pulls out another box. This one isn't wrapped up but it has my name on it. I open it to find a beautiful green dress. I put it on and love what I see. It has a v neck and is very flattering, even in my pregnant state. It fits to my stomach perfectly.

"You look beautiful."He says.

I turn around to find him wearing the sweater and watch. He looks so handsome. I really want to just rip it off of him and lock him up in this room all day, but I can't. "You look so handsome, Peeta."

I wrap my arms around his neck and bring him in for a kiss. He has to pull away and say,"Katniss, we need to go downstairs." I can see the lust in his eyes. I groan, but follow him. I braid my hair to the side as I walk downstairs.

When we get downstairs, we find that my mom is here.

"Katniss, you look so beautiful! And look at you, Peeta. So handsome!" She says and hugs each of us.

"Hi, mom. How was your trip?" I ask.

"It was great,"she says.

"That's good,"I say.

The doorbell rings, so I excuse myself from my mother and go to get it along with Peeta. We open it to find Johanna, Gale, the kids, Annie, and Finn. All the kids attack Peeta as soon as they see him.

"Uncle Peeta!"

"Hi, guys!" He says as he hugs them. Peeta really is a great uncle and father. All the kids love him. I smile at them, so thankful that Peeta has all these kids to be a wonderful uncle for.

Annie says,"wow, the sweater came out perfect!"

"Thank you so much for your help with it." I say.

"It's no problem, Katniss."

"Damn, Brainless! You look fucking hot! Can your boobs get any bigger? I bet Peeta wants to hit that,"she says with a grin. I slap her arm and say,"Johanna! My mom is right there!"

"It's not like she doesn't know you and Peeta have sex, I mean you're only pregnant, married, and already have one kid."

"Doesn't mean she needs to know about it!"

She just laughs.

"You really do look nice, though,"she says.

"Thank you,"I say.

While everyone sits and talks, I make my way into the kitchen to help Peeta bring all the food out for lunch/dinner. We get what we can out, and then go to enjoy time with our family and friends.

Peeta takes my hand in his as we sit on the couch and talk to my mom. She tells us all about four and the hospital. Her and Peeta discuss the bakery and talk about the baby. I listen...kind of. I'm mostly watching Willow play.

"Katniss?" Peeta says.

"Huh?"

He smiles at me. He must have called my name 5 times before I answered. "You okay?" He asks.

"Yeah, I was just watching Willow play."

"Isn't she precious?" He says.

"Yeah,"I smile and lean into his side.

After dinner, we open presents. My mom brought Willow a sketchbook and a snowglobe that has the beach and her name on it. She brings a photo book for Peeta and I. I open it to find it has some pictures in it.

There are some really old pictures from my childhood and even my parents wedding photo. There are pictures of Prim and I. And even pictures of us with dad. "I thought you should have these,"she says.

Tears stream down my face. "Thank you, mom,"I barely get out as I hug her.

Willow got so many gifts today, I'm afraid she's going to be spoiled! Effie brought her some cute dresses, Haymitch brought some toys and even brought his dumb cat with him, Johanna and Gale brought a wagon, and Annie made her a blanket.

"This is for the baby,"Annie says as she brings over a wrapped gift to Peeta and I. We open it to find a yellow blanket that says "Baby Mellark" on it and a decorated wooden M.

"Thank you, Annie!"We say and hug her.

* * *

Later, we all sit around the fireplace in the living room. All the kids have fallen asleep either on the floor or in the lap of their parents. I lean against Peeta, who has his arm around me and the other holds a sleeping Willow.

That's when I start to feel pain in my back. I shift uncomfortably which earns a look of concern from Peeta. "Are you okay Katniss?"He asks.

"My back Hurst a little, but I'm fine."

He doesn't look convince but he doesn't pester me about it.

Soon an unbearable pain shoots through my back. It almost feels like labor, only I'm only 6 months. It's too early. I let out a grunt of pain which causes everyone to worry. Peeta asks my mom to check me, but she doesn't have the equipment to know what is happening.

"You're going to the hospital," Peeta says.

"Peeta-"I try to argue, but am cut of by an agonising pain.

"No, you're going." He says. My mom offers to watch Willow and everyone says they'll wait for us. Haymitch goes with us to the hospital. They get us in right away because no one is waiting.

Doctor Cano comes in to check me.

"Hello Mrs Mellark,"she greets us,"what seems to be the problem?"

"I'm having terrible labor like pains, but I'm only 6 months."

"Have you been in stressful situations lately?"

I nod. Of course I have with all the trials and shit we've had to deal with.

"I'm going to check your blood pressure." She says as she brings out the machine that checks my blood pressure.

"Exatly what I thought- you have extremely high blood pressure. Which puts you at risk of preeclampsia. And that is dangerous for both the baby and you."

"Dangerous? How?" Peeta asks worried.

"It could be fatal for both."

"You need to get your blood pressure down, so I'm assigning a medicine, but you also need to do other things. Get not to stress. Don't lift heavy things. I'd like you to stay in bed for a week. Massages help. Maybe relax in a bath. But the most helpful thing is sex."

Haymitch grows bright red.

"An orgasm is the biggest stress reliever."

"Okay, thank you,"Peeta says politely.

"I'll get something for the pain, and something for the blood pressure."

Peeta wraps his arms around me and says,"don't leave me Katniss."

"I'm here. Always."

A/N a lot of you have been asking for more Chloe Clearwater. Don't worry, she will reappear, I don't know when though. Merry Christmas everyone!


	81. Naughty Peeta and names

Katniss pov

When we get home, Willow is asleep on the couch. Everyone looks extremely worried when we walk in. "I'm fine,"I explain,"my blood pressure is just high. I have to get it down."

"How are you to do that?" Annie asks worried.

"By relaxing, getting massages, trying not to worry-"I say.

"Sex," Haymitch grumbles.

Peeta is the nearest to him so he elbows him quickly in the side. He laughs and says,"it's true! It's what the doctor said!" Peeta blushes from the heat of my mom's glare, even though it's more directed at Haymitch than him.

"Well, it is true," she says,"it's a stress reliever."

"I think I'm feeling a bit stressed," Johanna says to Gale with a wink. He just laughs and hits her arm playfully.

"We should actually be going,"Gale says,"we need to get the kids home."

"Yeah, me too." Annie says.

"When do you go back to Four?"I ask Annie.

"Later tomorrow. I was planning on surprising you all, but I can't keep the secret anymore! I'm moving to 12 so that I can be closer to you all!"

We all scream in excitement. "This is wonderful news, Annie!" I say and hug her.

"I want Finn grow up near you guys. He is constantly asking when he can see you again. And Four, it is my home, but not without Finnick. So my home is with you guys."

"We can't wait, Annie,"Peeta says,"this is great."

She smiles brightly at us. After everyone leaves, except my mom who is staying with us, Peeta and I go up to put Willow to bed. I can't help but smile as I watch Peeta carry Willow up the stairs. She is so tiny compared to him.

I go into our room and start a bath. As I'm taking off my clothes, I feel arms wrap around my waist. Peeta kisses my cheek and asks,"how do you feel?"

"Fine. I took that medicine, so I feel fine."I say truthfully.

"Can I join you?" He asks.

"Sure, but you'll need to lose these,"I say as I pull his shirt over his head. He laughs and then brings me in so her can kiss me. He leans down to kiss my neck, right in a sensitive spot that he knows drives me crazy.

"Peeta, my mom is in the room next door..."I protest.

"Doctor's orders, and we can be quiet like we've done for the past 5 years." He says as he continues to kiss down my body.

I give into the sensation of his mouth and say,"okay."

* * *

When I wake up, Peeta is fast asleep. His arms are wrapped around my naked form, and his head rests on mine.

Right as I'm falling back to sleep, the door opens and Willow runs in. It's a good thing the blankets are covering us. "Mommy,"she whispers,"I'm hungry."I glance at the clock and see that it is 9:17.

"Okay, I'll go make breakfast. Will you hand mommy her robe?" I ask. She runs to the back of the door and reaches for my black silk robe. She hands it to me and I slip it on.

"Why don't you have clothes?" She asks me.

"Um-I uh..."

"She didn't put any on after her bath," Peeta says sleepily.

Willow seems to accept this answer. "Willow, baby, why don't you go downstairs and I will meet you down there." I say.

"Olay, mommy,"she says and leaves the room.

"That was a close one,"I say.

"Mmmhmm,"Peeta hums as he wraps his arms around me from behind and kisses my back. His body moves slow, still sluggish from sleep. His hands rest on top of my stomach. I move my hands up to cover his, then I interlace our fingers.

"I love you, Peeta." I say.

"I love you too, Katniss,"he says as he brings his body up behind mine. He kisses my neck and shoulder passionately. I moan at the pleasure of his lips. But pull away.

"We can't, Peeta,"I say as I walk to the door. I hear him groan and lay back in bed. When I go downstairs, I find that my mom is awake. "Good morning, mom,"I say and pour myself some coffee.

"Good morning, Katniss. Did you sleep well?" She asks.

I turn a little red, but say,"yeah, I slept fine."

I walk over to the fridge and pull out things to make breakfast. As I'm cooking bacon, I hear heavy footsteps followed by arms wrapping around me. Peeta kisses my cheek and says,"breakfast smell wonderful."

"Thank you, it almost done."

"Good, I'm starving." He says with a wink.

I playfully smack him. I don't know what has gotten into him!

Soon after breakfast, we take my mom to the train station and say goodbye. When we get home, I turn to Peeta and say,"we need to find out names,"as I place a hand on my stomach.

"Yeah, you're right. Are we still doing the boy- bread, girl-plant theme?" He asks. I nod, liking the sound of that.

"Yeah, I was thinking of maybe for a girl naming her Delilah."

"Yeah, I like that. What about Delilah Lilly Mellark? We could have the middle name after your mom."He asks. I nod.

"That was Prim's middle name too. And if it's a boy?"I ask.

"Hmmm... What about Rye? It's my middle name, but I like it."

"Rye, that's a beautiful name. We could also name it after your dad. Rye Farrell Mellark."I say.

"Okay,"he says,"I like it. Rye for a boy, Delilah for a girl. What do you think it will be?"

"I have a feeling it's a boy."

"I think so too,"Peeta says as he places his hand on my stomach. I feel a kick straight to his hand and we both chuckle.

The next day, we have another appointment to hopefully find out the gender. When we get there, a nurse leads us back to the room and asks me a few questions about my medicines and she takes my blood pressure.

Then when the doctor comes in, she has me lay down and expose my stomach. I jump slightly when she rubs the cool gel on my torso. Peeta holds my hand as she does this. She turns on the machine and presses the wand to my stomach, moving it around to find the right position.

Then finally she stops and says,"ah-hah! Here it is. Are you ready to find out the gender of your baby?"

Peeta and I both nod, not finding any words.

"It's a-"


	82. It's a-

Peeta pov

I hold Katniss' hand waiting to hear what we are having. My heart soars when the words come out. I can't believe it! Finding out the gender of my baby is a day I won't forget. It's a day that I will hold in my heart, of course it's not as important as the day the baby is born, or their firsts, but it's still a happy and important day.

I turn to Katniss. She has tears in her eyes. She's so happy that we're having a- "Peeta, can you believe this?" She says interrupting my thoughts.

"I know, it's so wonderful!" I say and kiss her cheek.

"We'll have to start making the baby's room now that we know what it is." She says.

"Yeah you're right. And we have to tell our friends and family. They'll be so happy to hear that it's a-" I'm interrupted by a nurse coming in to ask for the doctor.

"I'm needed else where, but I will be back to check your blood pressure again. Congratulations on the-"

"Doctor I hate to interrupt you but it is an emergency, and you're needed now." The nurse says.

"Okay," she says before leaving.

Katniss sits up from the bed and hugs me tightly. "Peeta, thank you for this precious gift,"she says as she places a hand on her stomach. I put my hand over hers and say,"I should be thanking you, Katniss."

She smiles and presses a soft kiss to my lips. I look into her beautiful eyes hoping that our baby has her eyes, and her hair, and well, all of her features. I wipe the tear from her cheek and ask,"are you happy?"

"I'm happier than you can imagine. Our baby is happy and healthy. The gender didn't really matter to me, but I'm happy with it. It just doesn't feel real yet,"she says.

"It is real. It is very real. Before you know it, we are going to have a beautiful, happy, and healthy baby. Imagine the first time you get to hold it in your arms. And Willow will be a big sister. And we'll have a baby-"

A nurse pops her head through the door.

"I'm just going to print out the picture and check your blood pressure, Mrs Mellark." She says.

As she works with the machine trying to print the picture she says,"congratulations, by the way."

"Thank you, so much." Katniss and I say in unison.

She hands me the picture and then checks her blood pressure. "It's still high, but it's better. So whatever you are doing to reduce it, keep it up," she says with a nod.

I smile as Katniss turns red. "Okay," she says. The buses works with Katniss to make another appointment and then we are off on our way. As we walk, I stare at the picture in my hand. My baby-

"Peeta?"

"Yes, honey?" I ask concerned at the tone in her voice.

"Are we good parents?" She asks.

"Of course we are,"I say,"why? What brought this thought?"

"I don't know... I was just thinking. I guess I'm just worried because my mom wasn't a great parent, and I didn't really have my dad for long. So I didn't really have much examples of a parent. And your mom was a terrible person and your dad would even stand up for his kids."

"I suppose that's true, but those are great examples of what not to do. And although we may not know everything about parenting, we know enough and we are learning together. We we do have some forms of examples. Like Haymitch, even though he's not our parent, he still has good father qualities to remember."

She nods.

"And even though you didn't have your dad for long, you still remember parts about him and how he was a wonderful parent."I add.

I watch as tears roll down her face.

"Hey,"I say gently and stop walking. She stops and looks at me. I place my hand on her check and wipe her tears,"don't cry, Katniss. You are a wonderful mother, and you always have been. Willow loves you so much. I love you so much. You have nothing to worry about or regret when it comes to being a parent. I don't know what I would do without you by my side. So there's no need to cry."

"I'm sorry,"she apologizes, wiping another tear,"I let my emotions get the best of me. And fear seems to be a big one."

"There's nothing to fear as long as we are together."I say.

"I love you, Peeta." She says.

"I love you too, Katniss." I say and wrap my arm tightly around her waist. My poor worrisome wife. She shouldn't think of these things. Especially now when she shouldn't be stressing.

Maybe he fears will disappear when she holds Willow in her arms, or when the exciting day comes when she gets to hold our baby-,"Daddy!" I hear as we walk into the Victors Village.

Haymitch and Willow stand in his front yard playing with his cat Robbie. She runs to us, straight into arms. "Hi baby girl!"I say excitedly. I kiss her cheek and then walk to Haymitch who has picked up the cat and stands on his grass.

"So, any news?" He asks.

"Yep." I say happily,"see for yourself,"and hand him the picture.

"Congratulations, love birds." He says.

"Can I see?" Willow asks.

I show her the picture and she asks,"is that the baby? It doesn't look like a baby!"

"It's not completely developed."

She looks at me confused, "daddy means that the baby doesn't have its full body yet. It has to grow and change still to be able to live outside of my tummy." Katniss says.

"It's not a whole baby?" She asks.

"Not yet."

We thank Haymitch for watching Willow and then go back to our house. That night, after dinner, when everyone is asleep, I roll away from Katniss and pick up the picture that is laying on my nightstand.

I start at it, engraving it into my memory.

A smile crosses my face.

I can't believe we're having a baby boy.

A/N Sorry but I just had to tease you all! I hope you enjoyed the tease and cliff hanger. I felt like we haven't had one of those in a while so I just had to add it :) Please review as always! Thank you so much! :)


	83. Setting up for the festival

A/N I just want to take the time to really thank everyone. This story has gone a lot farther than I thought it was going to go, and that's all thanks to all of you, and of course my one and only saviour, Jesus Christ. I honestly can't tell you how blessed I am and how thankful I am for all of you and your support with this story. Also, I hope you guys can give my other two current stories just as much love. I'm writing my first AU which I feel is a very big step for me. I really hope you guys can follow/review it. I really want to know how that one is going, and if maybe I should do more AUs? It's called,"Even Teachers Make Mistakes". It's another Everlark story. Again, thank you all so much for the love. God bless you all! :)

Katniss pov

Today is the Winter festival. It's a new thing the district is starting. Peeta was offered a spot with the food booths. This festival is supposed to have food, music, dancing, and games. This will be lots of fun for Willow.

It's not until later today, but Peeta is setting up. So I decide to take Willow down to see him. I dress her in a red long sleeve dress, leggings, tall boots, and a furry vest. I dress in a dress similar to hers, leggings, and my boots. As I stand, I notice that my back is hurting. Hopefully this doesn't ruin our day or foul my mood.

As I'm braiding my hair, she comes up to me and says,"mommy, will you braid my hair like yours?"

"Sure, go sit on my bed and I'll do it." I say.

She runs to my bed, and sits with her hair towards me. I braid back her long dark brown curls. When she turns around I realize how much she looks like me. "Ready to go see daddy?"I ask her.

"Yeah!" She's already out the door of my room and downstairs by the time I waddle to the doorway. She definitely has my speed, well the speed I have when I'm not 6 months pregnant.

I slowly make my way down the stairs to my eager daughter. Damn, I think I'm bigger with this baby than I was with Willow. "Mommy come on!" She says.

"I'm sorry baby, but I can't walk as fast with my giant tummy."I say with a light chuckle as I place my hand on my stomach. Willow really wanted a little sister, so she was a little disappointed when we told her we were having a boy.

"You need to put on your coat,"I say in a motherly tone.

She groans and puts her coat on. She's definitely my child. I smile at my daughter and I put on my coat too. She takes my hand and we walk outside. As we walk through town, she jumps over rocks, and climbs on the bigger rocks on the side of the road.

When we finally get to the center of the town, I see Peeta setting up his booth. Willow lets go of my hand and runs towards Peeta yelling,"Daddy!"

He turns around and as soon as he sees her, his face lights up. He scoops her up into his arms and kisses her cheek. She squeals as he tickles her, completely forgetting about the employee who was with him.

I walk up to him and he leans in to kiss me on the cheek. I smile at my handsome husband and say,"we came to help you."

"Oh, thank you,"he says and pulls me close to him. "I was just setting up the booth. And then I was going to the bakery to bake the treats.

"I wanna help!" Willow says.

"Okay, you can help me,"Peeta says."Tyler and his kids are coming to help me bake too. His daughter Rae is only a year older than you and Elena is only a a year younger. Hayden is only two."

"That will be nice,"I say. I just adore Tyler and his family.

Rory and Vick assemble the booth while Peeta and I make the top sign. Peeta paints the sign while I hammer it together. When we finish the top, we put it together with the bottom.

As we all admire our work, Peeta wraps an arm around me and holds me close to him as he presses a comforting kiss to my cheek, his hand on my stomach. He thanks his employees- our friends.

"Ready to do some baking?" Peeta asks Willow.

"Yeah!" She says excitedly.

Peeta smiles at our daughter and says,"alright then! Let's get down to the bakery!"

"See ya later, Peet,"Rory says.

"Alright, bye Rory, bye Vick." Peeta says to the boys.

Peeta and I hold hands with Willow, her swinging between us. She laughs a beautiful sound every time we lift her into the air. But soon we have to stop because my back starts hurting.

As I walk behind the counter at the bakery, I hear laughter from behind me. "What?" I snap.

Peeta smiles at me, which calms me a bit,"you're waddling, dear."

"I can't help it!" I whine. "My back hurts, my ankles are swollen, I'm huge, and I can't cross my legs anymore! And it's all your fault!"

My blaming him seems to just roll off his shoulder as he continues to smile at me, almost amused. "I'm sorry, love,"he says as he walks to me,"I would carry all your burdens if I could, but I can't."

I sigh, knowing he would because he is just that perfect.

I accidentally knock a spoon off of the counter and try to pick it up, but struggle to do so. Peeta bends down and picks it up for me. I huff in annoyance. Peeta moves his hand to the spot on my back that hurts and massages it.

"How does this feel?" He asks as he rubs the spot harder.

"Perfect, right there,"I say as I close my eyes, my hands resting on my stomach and my back. Peeta presses a kiss to my cheek as his hands work my lower back. I take a seat on the chair and run a hand over my stomach.

"Let's start baking,"Peeta says. He helps Willow up on a chair that is near the counter. I watch as he shows her how to measure the ingredients. I stand up and go to the fridge and pull out a piece cheesecake.

When Peeta sees me eating the cake he smiles and says,"anything you hunger for, have."

"Well my husband is a baker, that's what he's for,"I wink,"he's only good for two things, giving me kids and making me food."

"You're forgetting one thing," he says with a wink.

"Peeta!" I say exasperated.

"Damn, boss,"Tyler says as he walks in with his kids.

"What?" Peeta says with fake innocence,"I'm good for kisses."

I just laugh and roll my eyes as he presses a kiss to my cheek.

After long hours of baking, we all finish the cookies and decorate them. Around 2, I stand from my chair and say,"we need to get home so Willow can clean up before the festival."

"But mom-" Willow starts.

"No, your mom is right,"Peeta says,"you need to get cleaned up."

She says,"Fine!"

"Hey, don't give your mom attitude or else you'll find yourself is bed before the festival."

"Sorry, dad." She says.

"Say bye to your father,"I tell her.

"Bye dad." She says and then follows me home.


	84. The festival

A/N I want to apologize because I've been neglecting fanfiction lately. School started again, and I have had more homework than ever! Also, I've been really caught up in Netflix. (I know that's no excuse but I'm sure you guys can understand that one.) Anyways, enjoy the chapter.

Katniss pov

When Willow and I arrive, Peeta isn't at the stand even though he told me that he would be here when I called him from the house. The festival has already started. I figured that I would see him before I take Willow to do some games. I want to go look for him, but Willow is stubborn like me and pesters me about my promise to take her to the games.

I guess I can just look for him after a few games.

I take her to the game that Gale set up. It's an archery booth. He has safe arrows for the younger ones. I smile at my friend as We walk up to his stand. "Hmm, I don't know if you have the talent,"he jokes with me.

"My mommy's the best archerer there ever is!" Willow argues to her uncle.

Gale raises his hands in defense and says,"she really is your child. Are you sure there's any of Peeta in there?"

"She's definitely stubborn like me." I say.

He hands me the bow and says,"here."

I lift it from the table and pull the string back. I aim the arrow at the target, and then let it fly. I hits right in the middle of the red dot. Gale smiles proudly. But not as proud as Willow. "See uncle Gale? I told you!"

"Here, your turn,"Gale says and hands her a smaller bow.

She aims like I've showed her. "Remember not to rush,"I tell her and lift her elbow up little with my hand. She bites her lip as she concentrates. She releases the string, causing the arrow to be airborne.

It lands a few inches from mine. About 5-6 inches.

"Great job Willow! You're getting better!"I say happily.

"Good job, kid," Gale says ruffling her hair,"you won this." He hands her a small plush toy squirrel.

"Thanks Uncle Gale." She says hugging the toy.

"Hey, Gale, have you seen Peeta? He said he was going to meet me at the booth but he wasn't there."

"Maybe he went to the bathroom, or he went to get more from the bakery, it seems to be really popular." He says.

"Thanks Gale." I say.

He must sense my worry so he adds,"if you want Johanna can take Willow with her and the boys while you look for Peeta?"

I nod,"I'll try to be quick,"then I turn to Willow,"mommy will be right back. You're gonna go with your aunt and your cousins okay?"

"Okay, mommy,"she says happily.

I smile at my baby girl and then thank Gale. I find my way to the booth quickly, and to my disappointment, Peeta isn't there. Where could he be? "Hey Katniss,"Tyler says as I walk up.

"Where's Peeta?"I ask him.

"He went to the bakery to grab some more desserts. He's been gone a while though..."He says.

"Thanks Tyler,"I say before leaving.

I run, well, waddle as fast as I can to the bakery. The dining area is dark but I can see a faint light from the kitchen. I push on the door but find it locked. He must have gone through the back.

Sure enough, the back door is unlocked when I try it. This leads to the hall. As I near the kitchen door, I hear a crash from beyond it. Peeta!

As I burst through the doors, I am met with a shocking view. Peeta is leaned up against the counter, his shirt is open. And pressed against him, is none other than Chloe Clearwater. Her shirt is ripped open too, revealing that she is not wearing a bra. Her lips are pressed to his.

And do my eyes deceive me?! Or are his lips moving with hers!

Tears fill my eyes and splash onto my cheeks. I must make a sound because they both turn to me. Anger fills me and I yell,"YOU BITCH! GET AWAY FROM MY HUSBAND!"

"My work here is done,"she says sassily.

I want to punch her as she walks out, but I can't move. All I can do is stare broken heartedly at my husband. He looks scared and confused and a little hurt. "How could you?" I say in a deadly calm voice.

"Katniss, let me explain." He says.

"You've done enough!" I cry as I turn and run.

I hear him yelling after me, but I keep running. I don't know how long I run, by my throat hurts by the time I get back to my house. My eyes sting, and my back hurts. I lock the door behind me and lean against the front door as I cry.

How could he do this to me? Why was he kissing that bitch?

Soon I hear knocking. I don't move.

"Katniss?" It's Gale.

"I saw you running, are you okay?"

I sniff and say,"no..."

"What happened?" He asks through the door.

"I'm not sure. Please just leave me alone."

"Katniss, what about your daughter?"

Willow. I almost forgot about her in all my rage and sadness.

"Where is she?"I ask.

"With Johanna. Where's Peeta?"

"Probably off kissing some whore,"I grumble.

"Katniss, what happened?"

I'm silent.

"Katniss?"

"I found him kissing someone else."

He's silent for a moment. "That doesn't sound like Peeta. There has to be some good explanation."

"I saw it Gale!" I cry.

"Okay...Okay, just calm down. Let Johanna and I take Willow for the night while you figure this out, okay?"

"Fine."

"Peeta is coming... I'm gonna leave you guys, okay?"

I don't say anything, but I hear him leave soon followed by more footsteps and conversation I can hear.

"Katniss?" It's Peeta. His voice sounds strained.

I'm silent.

"Katniss, please... You know I love you with all my heart. Hear me out okay?"

I'm still silent, but the tears flows more and I'm sure my cries can be heard by Peeta. "I saw a nurse who treated me in the capitol today... it sent me into a flashback. I could feel it coming on so I went to the bakery. I told the guys I went to get more desserts."

"That doesn't explain why you were kissing that bitch!" I cry.

He sighs loudly.

"I was in my flashback. She must have followed me because when I was in the kitchen trying to calm myself, she was there. She edged me on by saying things about you. She caused mutt Peeta to come out. The next thing I knew, everything was shiny and blurry. I was so confused...I still am."

I cry harder.

"She ripped my shirt open and toyed with mutt Peeta. Katniss, I would never do that to you unless I wasn't in the right mind. I love you and only you! That-that wasn't me." He sounds like he's crying. "You should know this after ten years of marriage!"

"You should know not to kiss other women!"I yell.

"Katniss, I was in a flashback! You know I love you with all my heart. I will never love anyone else like I love you! Please Katniss. Please, just listen to me!" He cries.

"I can't do this right now."I say and get up. I can hear him still calling my name and banging on the door as I walk upstairs.


	85. The make up

Peeta pov

I lean against the door. I'm too tired to bang on it anymore. I see Gale and Johanna walking into the victors village with all the kids. Willow runs to me and gives me a tight hug.

"Hi daddy!" She says happily.

I manage a small smile for my daughter. She kisses my cheek and I ask,"did you have fun?"

She nods.

"Were you a good girl for your aunt and uncle?"I ask.

She nods again.

"I'll see you tomorrow, okay?" I tell her.

"Okay daddy,"she says,"I love you."

"I love you too."I say. She walks away with Johanna and the kids. Gale takes a seat next to me.

"I uh, I heard something happened. Katniss was pretty upset." He says awkwardly.

"She thought I cheated on her." I say grimly.

"I don't believe that would happen." He says,"there's no way you would cheat on her."

"I didn't cheat, but something terrible did happen, and now she won't even talk to me."I say.

"She'll come around, I can guarantee that."He says.

"I hope so."

"Do you need a place to sleep tonight?" He asks.

"No, but thanks anyways. And thanks for watching Willow for us."

"Anytime,"he says before clapping my shoulder and standing up.

Katniss pov

I wake up alone in a cold empty bed. I can't seem to sleep for very long. It's hard without Peeta here to hold me. It reminds me of when he was gone, and I had returned home. Only this time I'm pregnant. If it wasn't the nightmares waking me up, it was the pain in my back, or a kick from the baby.

I get up from the bed and shiver. It's freezing. I glance at the open window and my mind instantly thinks of Peeta. He can't sleep without it open. It use to bother me but I've grown use to the cold mornings.

I look at the clock to see that it's only 2 in the morning. I slip my robe on and go downstairs. My stomach growls. I give a small smile to my stomach. This baby definitely has an appetite. I make my way through the familiar dark house, to the kitchen.

The moonlight hits something outside the window, catching my attention. I walk over to the window that faces the porch. Sitting on the bench outside, is Peeta. He lays with his head resting against the window. He must be freezing!

I forget all my anger with him and run to the door. To my surprise, he's awake. His head perks up when he sees me standing on the porch by the door. He goes to speak but I shush him.

"C'mon Peeta, you must be freezing. Get inside."I say sadly. Sleep is evident in my speech. He doesn't say anything, he just stands and walks inside. I expect him to go up but he doesn't. He goes the couch, and I follow.

I grab a warm blanket and wrap it around his shoulders. My hand grazes his shoulder, and it practically freezes. He's as cold as ice! I feel horrible. How much he suffers because of me.

"Katniss,"he starts,"please tell me you believe everything I told you."

I sigh and sit next to him. I slowly lean into his side. His arm goes around my waist, pulling me closer."I do, Peeta. I'm not angry at you, I'm just angry. It's just so hard to see what I saw. I felt so betrayed even though I know that you wouldn't do that to me. I want to blame it on the hormones, but it's not that. It's just me."

He takes my hand in his and says,"I understand."

I yawn and he says,"we can talk in the morning. You need to sleep."

I agree and he helps me upstairs. The second I'm in his arms in bed, I fall asleep. When I we wake up, it's almost 11. It was well deserved rest. Not that I've had enough sleep, I can have an important conversation with Peeta.

Peeta looks at me, anxiously awaiting to hear what I have to say. "I'm sorry for acting so dramatically, but you have to understand my perspective. What if you saw me kissing someone, how would you react?"

He sighs and says,"I suppose I would react similarly. But you didn't let me explain. You just ran and you didn't seem to trust me. And that hurts..."

"I know. I'm sorry that I didn't listen to you."

"Just know that-"

"I know Peeta. I-"

"No, listen to me."He says as he pulls my chin towards him. Forcing me to make eye contact with him. "Katniss, I will never love someone the way I love you. You are my life. Without you, I have nothing. And that will never change. So whenever you have doubts, remember my love for you. Remember how long I have loved you. Because when I look at you, nothing matters. I get carried away, and nothing matters but being with you. My heart will belong to you til the day I die."

Tears leave my eyes at the beautiful words of my husband.

"I love you, Peeta."

"I love you too."

"Stay with me?"

He smiles at our little joke.

"Always."

He holds me close to his chest as he rests his head against mine. The sound of his heartbeat is soothing. It's the most beautiful sound I've ever heard and I know that I will never get tired of hearing it. Even if I do hear it everyday.

I scrunch up my nose at the smell of him though. It's kind of ruining the beautiful moment. I can smell her perfume and its sickening to me. I push away from him and say,"please, please take a shower Peeta."

"Do I really smell that bad?" He asks a little confused.

"You smell like her perfume,"I say.

"Oh,"he says in horror.

I nod.

"I'll go take a shower then." He says before kissing me quickly.

Peeta pov

God what have I done?!

How could I have done that to her? Even if I was in a flashback, that's a new low. I'm a horrible husband! How could I have done that to her? Especially while she was pregnant.

I step into the shower and cry as I lean up against the wall. I feel her stomach hitting my back before her arms wrap around me. She rests her head against my shoulder and says softly,"don't cry, Peeta,"as she wipes a tear.

"I just feel terrible for what happened, Katniss. I love you so much-"

"Shhh... don't worry about it right now. Just hold me and don't let go." I tell him. He turns in my arms and holds me against his chest.

"I love you Katniss." He says.

"I love you too Peeta."

After our shower, I make my way to Johanna and Gale's house. Willow is excited to see me and tells me all about her wonderful night. "Lets go see daddy,"I say and she happily jumps up and down.

She practically runs


	86. Peeta's 28th birthday

A/N so I'm getting a job which means I will be updating less. I really am sorry. The good thing is, I have a break in two weeks which means I can update more. :)

Peeta pov

(A couple months later)

I wake up to Katniss kissing me. As my eyes adjust to the light, I hear her say,"good morning birthday boy." My mind is confused with sleep but soon straightens it out. Today is my 28th birthday.

I sit up when I realize how much she is struggling to bend over. She's more than nine months pregnant now. She's a week overdue and it frustrates her so much. Yesterday she laid on the couch complaining about how much her ankles were swollen. She's also been in so much pain. So I'm surprised to see her standing.

"Whoa, Whoa, Whoa, what are you doing up? You should be resting with your feet elevated,"I say.

"I wanted to do something special for you. Especially since you have put up with all my hormones." She says as she grabs a try that was on the side table. I look at all the food surprised. "You made this?"

She nods.

I pat the spot next to me, she climbs in slowly. I wrap my arms around her and say,"thank you." She smiles at me. I take a bite and find that it is very delicious. I get a bite on my fork and feed it to her.

She rests a hand on her stomach and says to our baby boy,"please, just come out already!"

I rest a hand on her stomach and say,"come out, baby. Your poor mommy is is done being pregnant and we want to meet you." As a reply, I feel a kick to my hand. Katniss cringed.

"His kicks are getting harder and harder." She says as she rubs the spot where he kicked. I press a kiss to her cheek as my hand covers hers. Willow runs into our room with a paper in her hand and jumps onto our bed.

"Happy birthday, daddy!" She says and hands me a picture she drew herself.

"Thank you, sweetie,"I say and kiss her forehead.

She smiles and Katniss says,"she helped with breakfast."

"You did?! Well it was amazing! Thank you so much, both of you,"I say.

"You're welcome,"she says happily.

"Willow, why don't you go get dressed. And brush your teeth." Katniss says.

"Okay mommy,"she says before leaving. Katniss closes the door after her and then moves to me. I attack her mouth and say,"if I remember correctly, the doctor recommended sex to induce labor...and its my birthday-" I don't even have to say more because she's already stripping my clothes from me.

* * *

I lay there with Katniss in my arms, smiling contently. After we get dressed, which is more of Katniss sitting there while I get her clothes on, we go downstairs. We find Haymitch on the couch when we get downstairs.

"Happy birthday, boy." He says.

"Thank you Haymitch."I say.

Katniss waddles over to the couch, and Haymitch tries to hold back a laugh. He knows how much her big stomach bothers her, so I appreciate that he's at least trying not to bother her good mood. Which has been hard to do lately.

She threatened to shoot Haymitch in the leg last time she saw him, for laughing at her when she tried to get up from a chair. She's even snapped at me a few times. But she luckily hasn't threatened me yet.

I make my way to the couch and kiss her cheek. She leans against my side and forces a smile. I frown. "What?"She asks,"what's wrong, Peeta?"

"You're uncomfortable, aren't you?"I ask her.

"I'm always uncomfortable,"she sighs.

"What can I do to help?"I ask.

She shakes her head,"this day is about you, not me,"she says.

"And I want to make you comfortable."I say.

She sighs. I grab her feet and put them on my lap and start to massage her feet as she lays against the pillows. "You're too perfect, Peeta." She says. I smile at my beautiful wife.

Willow runs up to Haymitch and asks,"can I play with the geese? Please grandpa! Please!"

Haymitch chuckles and says,"oh, alright,"and stands up.

"We'll see you in a little while,"I say to them.

Katniss cringes again, this time it's worse. "What's wrong?"I ask her.

"Just more Braxton Hicks." She sighs.

I take her hand and press a kiss to it. "Do you need anything?" I ask her.

"Some water would be nice." She says.

"Water it is, milady,"I say with a wink. She rolls her eyes. When I get into the kitchen, I find her mess of cooking. I'll have to clean that up. I get her a glass and fill it with water. Then I yell back,"do you want some cheese buns?"

"Please,"she calls.

I bring her her water and then return to the kitchen.

I'm kneading the bread when I hear her scream. Dropping everything in my hand, I take off towards the living room. She clutching her stomach with her legs wide open as she pants.

My eyes widen.

"Peeta, it's time!"

I run over to her and scoop her into my arms. I run upstairs and place her in the extra room. I go to call Johanna, but as I'm leaving she grabs my hand and says,"Peeta, don't leave me."

"I have to call Johanna and tell Haymitch. I'll be right back, okay?" She nods and I press a kiss to her lips.

I fly down the stairs and out the door and yell to Haymitch across the street who is playing with a goose and Willow. Then I run next door to Johanna and Gale. I bang on their door until Gale answers.

"What-"

"Katniss is in labor!"


	87. A birthday present

Peeta pov

"Katniss is in labor!"I say excitedly.

"Really?!"Gale asks.

"No, I just thought I'd do a practice run in case she did. OF COURSE SHE'S IN LABOR!"I say sarcastically.

"Shit! Let me get Johanna and Annie!"Gale says running in.

"Annie is a midwife right?"I ask.

"Yeah."

Thank God, I don't think I could get Katniss to a hospital now. I run to the house across the street to tell our old mentor. He is playing with Willow in the side yard where the geese are.

"Haymitch!"I yell as I run through the gate. "Katniss is in labor!"

"Well that's one hell of a birthday present,"he says.

"What does that mean?" Willow asks me confused.

"It means mommy is having the baby." I say happily.

"Yay! I'm gonna be a sister!"She says jumping up and down while clapping excitedly.

"I'll watch Willow, go take care of sweetheart,"Haymitch says. I nod and quickly run to the house. When I get there, Annie and Johanna are in the room with Katniss. She is holding back screams.

She pants hard and relaxes some when she sees me. "Peeta,"she calls.

"I'm here,"I say and run up to her side. I take her hand from Annie and kiss it. "I love you so much Katniss."

"I love you too Peeta." She says. Then her demeanor changes and she says,"I can't do this, I can't have this baby. I can't-"

"Katniss, listen to me,"I say. When she doesn't I say,"look at me!" Her eyes look into mine and I begin. "You are the strongest, bravest, person I know. And I know a lot of strong/brave people. You are Katniss Mellark, and you are not a quiter. You are going to have this baby okay? We are going to do it together. You aren't alone."

She nods as the tears leave her eyes. I wipe them away and lean in to kiss her. "You can do this, Katniss. Just think of the beautiful baby boy. Our baby boy."

"I hope he looks like you, Peeta" she says.

I smile at my beautiful wife. Even while in labor she's beautiful. I wipe her sweaty hair from her face and squeeze her hand reassuringly. She goes to say something else but it's cut off my a scream as a contraction hits.

I turn to Annie,"isn't there something you can give her for the pain?"

"I'm not qualified to give her an epidural. It goes in her spinal fluid and that's something I can't screw up. Only a doctor can do it."

"We have to call her mom, she really needs this."I say.

"I already called her, she's on her way here. She said it should take an hour."Johanna says.

"I've ruined your birthday, I'm sorry Peeta,"Katniss says to me.

"No you haven't, this is the best birthday present I could have asked for."I tell her. "Here, sit up."

She sits up and I move behind her. She leans back against my chest and my hands move to massage her lower back. She closes her eyes and sighs. "That feels so much better."She says.

I kiss her cheek and continue to massage her back. "Willow is very excited that you're having the baby,"I tell her.

"Really? Where is my little angel?" She asks tiredly.

"She's with Haymitch,"i say.

An hour later, her mom arrives. Thank God, I couldn't bare to see her in so much pain. I con only imagine how she feels. She was already in tears by the time her mom walked through the door.

"Okay, Katniss, I need you to sit up so I can give you this epidural. Your life will be so much better after this." She says.

I move out of her way and watch as she injects the medicine in her lower back. I move back behind her and wrap my arms around her. She leans against my chest and sighs.

"Happy birthday, Peeta,"her mom says.

"Thank you,"I say with a smile.

She moves down by her feet and says,"let me check you, Katniss."

Katniss nods and opens her legs as much as she can. Her mom looks disappointed as she says,"it looks like you are only 3 centimeters..."

"Only three?!" She says.

"At this rate, he will be born tomorrow." Her mom says.

Katniss groans.

"I suggest getting as much sleep as you can. You won't be getting much soon." Her mother says. Katniss nods and leans against me. I kiss her and try to get her as comfortable as possible.

Katniss sighs,"so much for my plans."

"Plans?"I ask her. What plans could she possibly have?

"I was going to make you dinner and go on a beautiful walk, and then I was going to give you a special 'massage'." She says.

"That's sweet of you, but you don't have to do all that."I say.

"You deserve all that. You are such an amazing husband and father Peeta. You deserve a nice birthday." She says with a smile.

"How did I get so lucky?"I ask her. "I have an amazing wife, who loves me. And soon to be two wonderful kids. I am very lucky."

"I'm the lucky one,"she smiles,"but all of this didn't come without a price."

She is right. We had to go through hell just to get here. If it weren't for the horrible games, I wouldn't have talked to her. Even if they were horrible, I wouldn't change a thing, because I wouldn't want to change anything I have now. If it weren't for me being captured, Katniss might not have realized that she loved me.

"Well, that price has been paid."

* * *

Many hours later.

"What time is it?"Katniss asks.

"It's almost 1am." Johanna answers.

"This is taking so long!" Katniss cries.

So much for him being born on my birthday.

He mom moves down to check on her and to my surprise says,"you are now 10 centimeters. It's time to push!"

I take her hand and Johanna takes the other, while Annie helps her mom. "Push!"

Katniss squeezes my hand as she screams with each push that she gives. Every second, we get closer to meeting our son.

I whisper encouragement into her ear as she rests. Then tell her I love her. Then her mom says to push again. I'm sure I'm going to have bruises on my hand from how hard she is squeezing.

"The head is out,"Annie announces.

"A few more pushes"her mom says.

Katniss closes her eyes and grits her teeth as she pushes. Soon the cries of our son fill the small room. I rush down to see him. The tiny bloody bundle screams in Lilly's arms. Annie shows me where to cut the umbilical cord.

I hover as Annie washes him.

My beautiful son. I count his fingers and toes and find that he has 10 of each. Annie hands me him when she is done washing him. He has blonde curls, just like me. And my nose.

I take him over to Katniss, who is absolutely exhausted. She smiles tiredly at me as I hand her our son.

"He's perfect, Peeta,"she says. "He looks just like you."

"What are you naming him?" Johanna asks.

"His name is, Rye John Mellark."I say proudly.

Her mom tears up at the honoring of her dead husband, John. And Annie and Johanna smile at us. Katniss hands him back to me and I smile at him. He opens his eyes and reaches for my finger.

"Welcome to the world Rye,"I whisper to him before he falls back asleep.


	88. Two People Fell In Love

A/N wow we are almost to 500 reviews! This is more than I could have ever asked for this story. Thank you so much for being so loyal and amazing! I love you all, God bless. :) I am sad to announce that this story is almost over. There isn't much more that I have planned for this story. It should be close to 100 chapters long.

Peeta pov

I hold my son in one arm and bring a plate with dinner for Katniss with the other. He coos and wiggles. I smile at Rye and place the plate on her lap. From behind me I hear,"you could have given the boy to me while you fixed her dinner. You don't have to do both." Johanna says.

I roll my eyes and say,"I just don't want to set him down."

She snorts,"I didn't think you could get any cheesier bread boy, but you just did."

I hear the noise of the door shutting and hear footsteps running up the stairs. Johanna holds out her arms to hold Rye, so I place him in her arms and brace myself for my daughter who is going to run in any second now.

She runs straight into my arms and holds onto me tightly. "Hi, daddy!" She says loudly. I hold up my finger to my mouth and gently shush her.

"Mommy is asleep, and you don't want to startle the baby."

"Baby! Where is he?"

I point to Johanna who is lightly bouncing Rye in her arms. I stand up and take him from her arms and then get down so Willow can see him. "His name is Rye John Mellark."

"He's so small!" She says loudly and then covers her mouth and whispers,"oops! Sorry daddy."

I smile at her and say,"it's okay. Do you wanna hold him?"

"Yes please!"

"Okay, go sit down in that chair and I'll help you."

She runs over to the chair and hops onto it. I walk over to her and tell her how to hold her arms so that she protects his head. I place him so he is mostly on her lap, except for his head which is on her arm.

Her eyes widen in amazement and excitement.

"Wow he's so small!"

"He's a new born so he's really tiny."

"Was I this small?"

"Yes, you were when you were this age."I tell her.

I see a flash from the corner of my eye. When I turn I see Delilah with our camera in her hands. I smile thankfully at her. I want these moments to be captured. But sadly the moment is ruined because Rye starts to scream, startled by the flash.

"Daddy what's happening?!"Willow starts to freak out.

I scoop him up from her lap and start to bounce him lightly. He continues to scream. I look over at Katniss who has been awakened by our son's screams.

"Give him to me, it's around his feeding time,"she says sleepily.

I walk over to her side and place him in her arms. Willow and Delilah walk out of the room and downstairs to eat dinner. I watch in awe as she feeds him.

"Jeez, bread boy, you act like you've never seen her boob before,"Johanna says.

"It amazes me every time."

"Well, I gotta go. Congratulations, guys,"Johanna says.

"Bye, jo,"Katniss says.

When she's done feeding him, I take him so that she can eat. He is soon asleep in my arms. I'm so caught up in looking at my son, that I almost don't even hear Katniss speak.

"He looks so much like you."

It's true, he does. He has my hair color, and my nose. His eye shape is more like Katniss, and his eyes are the same grey as an Everdeen. He is equally Everdeen and Mellark. As is Willow.

Although Willow's looks are more from the Everdeen side. It looks like Rye's looks will be more from the Mellark side. It's crazy to see this combination of Seam and Merchant. Before, it was rare to have that social mix.

Katniss' family was a rare exception. Her father being Seam and her mother being Merchant. Other then them, there weren't many families like that. It was frowned upon by the Merchants for one of 'us' to marry someone from the seam.

But now, I see it all the time.

I love the story of Katniss' parents. It's a very cute love story. Because in reality, we are all equal. No one social class is better than the other. And we deserve to be with one another.

"Peeta...?"

"Huh? Sorry, I just got lost in my thoughts..."

"What we're you thinking about?"

"I was thinking about how our children are a perfect mix of Everdeen and Mellark. Seam and Merchant."

"Yeah, it's great to see how times have changed. There's more mixed couples between the two."

"Just like your parents."

"Yeah. I remember my dad telling me about how he fell in love with my mom. He said he saw her walking down the street and he knew that he just had to speak to her. He ran through a crowd of people, and tripped over a pig, but got to her nonetheless. He couldn't believe that she actually started talking to him. And on their first date, he brought her flowers that matched her name. He told me that he knew from that first time he saw her, that he was in love with her."

"Just like how I knew from the moment I heard you sing that I was in love with you."

"I wonder what it would be like if you would have just talked to me sooner?"She says.

"I wouldn't change anything. I wouldn't want any of this to be compromised."

"It's amazing how all of this came to be. Families, I mean. They start all because two people fell in love."

"Yeah, there's nothing not affected when two hearts get connected, all that ever is or ever was. Each decision that we make, every single breath we take, is all because two people fell in love."

"Our children have life, all because we fell in love."She says to me.

I lean in and kiss her,"I'm glad that your dad couldn't resist your mom's charm and you exist."

"I love you Peeta."She says.

"I love you too, Katniss."

A/N so some parts of this chapter are from "Two People Fell In Love" by Brad Paisley. It's a good song, I recommend listening to it. He is one of my favorite singers.


	89. AN 500th Review

A/N so a very quick authors note.

First of all, this story is at 499 reviews, someone left a review thinking it was 500 but it wasn't. But that's okay because I am positive that we will get there. So I'm just going to go ahead and celebrate now, we made it to 500 reviews! Thank you to everyone who reviewed! Each and every one of you is so important and you all make the story worth writing. :) Second of all, Catnip Mellark was the 499th review and they thought that they were the 500th review and asked for a shout out, even though you came up a review short, I'm going to give you the shout out anyway so here it is! Thank you Catnip Mellark :)

Third of all, that review was as a guest review so I can't reply to it directly so I am going to reply to it now. You asked for a Claro story in modern day. I don't know what Claro is, and I am not a fan of modern day AUs, I do have one modern AU but that is a very special and rare story. I hope you understand that I am very picky about what I write about because I want the story to be good and if I'm not passionate about it, it just won't be as good. So thank you for the review and the suggestion, I really appreciate it, but I will not be writing that story. Like I said before I am very picky and will only write about a few ships. Those ships are Everlark (katniss/Peeta); Anidala (Anakin/Padme); and Fourtris (Tris/Four). So if any of you have any suggestions for those ships, I might just write about it.

Again thank you all so much for the reviews they are all very much appreciated, I love you all and God bless!


	90. Nightmares

Katniss pov

Today Rye is officially six weeks old. I wake up to his loud cries. Peeta rolls over and groans. He lazily taps my shoulder and says with his face still in the pillow,"the baby's crying."

Looks like I'm getting him. I roll out of bed and go to the bassinet that's against the wall. I scoop up my baby boy and start to slowly bounce him as I check his diaper. He's not wet.

So I look for signs of hunger.

He's not hungry.

"What's wrong Rye?" I ask him as I continue to bounce him lightly. I press a kiss to his forehead and walk over to the bed. I lay him on my chest and run my hand on his back to comfort him.

His cries start to slow. Peeta rolls over and looks at us with a loving gaze. His hand covers mine on our son's back. Rye's eyes droop as he fights sleep. When he is finally asleep, Peeta leans in and kisses his cheek.

He leans in closer and lays his head on my shoulder as he watches our son sleep. Soon I hear snoring. I glance over to Peeta who has fallen asleep on my shoulder. Looks like both my boys have fallen asleep on me.

I move my head to kiss Peeta's head.

"I love you,"I whisper into his hair.

Then I kiss Rye's forehead and whisper,"I love you too baby boy."

I look at the clock and see that it is only 1 in the morning. So I decide to go back to sleep.

* * *

When I wake up, I find that Rye isn't on me. There's screaming coming from downstairs. It's Willow and I can hear Rye crying. I get up and run downstairs. Three peacekeepers are there with guns in their hands. One holds Rye in his arms and has Willow by the wrist.

The other holds up a gun to Peeta. And the other holds a gun up to me. "We have orders to execute Peeta Mellark and to bring Katniss Mellark, Willow Mellark, and Rye Mellark to the capitol."

"What?! Who gave you those orders! Let my family go!" I yell.

"Orders are from Snow."

"No! That's impossible! He's not alive!"

"Katniss, run."Peeta says. But I can't. They have our kids!

That's when the gun goes off and Peeta drops. And I don't see anything anymore.

"Katniss." I hear his voice.

_"Katniss! Wake up!"_

My eyes shoot open and I gasp. Tears stream down my face as I shoot up and wrap my arms around Peeta. His arms hold me tightly as I cry into his shoulder.

"It was just a dream." He says.

I shake my head,"it was a nightmare."

"Was it about the games?" He asks.

"No... Peacekeepers came...they shot you... they had the kids!" I cry.

"Shhh...I'm okay, the kids are okay."He says.

That's when I realize that Rye is no longer laying with us.

"Where is he?"I ask as I frantically look around.

"He's in the bassinet. I changed him while you were sleeping and then I put him back in his bassinet."

"And Willow?"I ask.

"She's asleep still."He says calmly.

"Peeta, what are we going to do?"

"What do you mean?" He asks.

"How are we going to explain all of this? All of our nightmares. Why we have them. Why they'll never go away. How are we going to tell them about the games? I don't want them to learn from school before we tell them."

"Katniss, you need to calm down." He says,"and then we can talk."

I nod and lean into his chest. He strokes my hair and holds me tight as he coos to me comfortingly. "We probably should talk to Willow. She's in first grade now. They first introduce the games in second grade."

"How are we going to talk to her without scaring her?" I ask worried.

"We'll talk to her in a way that will make her understand. She's very smart you know, just like her mother." He says with a smile.

"Just like her father." I say.

"Don't worry, she is going to understand." He says.

"Other parents don't have to worry about explaining to their children that they killed other kids in an arena and then led a rebellion or were hijacked. Peeta, I'm scared."

"I am scared too. But they do need to hear it from us." He says.

I shake my head,"I don't want to worry about all of this now,"I say to him.

He looks me on the eyes and says,"Katniss, I think we should talk to Willow and explain to her what happened in our past."

"Peeta, I'm not ready,"I say shaking.

"Katniss, you'll never be ready,"he sighs.

Rye starts to cry again so I stand up and go to pick him up. He looks to be hungry so I stand up and walk out of the room. I can hear Peeta calling to me but I walk back into Rye's soon to be room.

His room has a huge window. There are no curtains yet, so all of the light of the Sun just barely raising fills the room. It's absolutely beautiful. The run is just starting to shine over the forest.

I slip off the straps of my shirt and position Rye to feed him. It's calming me, as I watch the sun rise. I feel Peeta's hand on my hip and he kisses my cheek,"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to upset you "

"I'm just really scared, Peeta."I say.

"I know, but I still think we should talk to her."

"Fine,"I sigh.

"This view is beautiful." He says.

"Yeah, it's very beautiful. Reminds me of when I use to wake up early to hunt." I say.

"And when I would go into the bakery."

"You went into the bakery last week,"I joke.

"I know, but it seems like forever." He says.

"You should go back,"I say,"we'll be fine."

"I don't know,"he says,"how about in a month."

"Alright, fine. I just don't want to hold you back."

"Katniss there is nothing better than seeing my children everyday and seeing them grow."He says.

"I really love you," I say.

"I love you too."


	91. The Hunger Games pt 1

Katniss pov

I wake up from nightmares all night. All of them are about my past, and Snow, my children going to the games, my children's fears. I sit there rocking back and forth, holding my knees to my chest. I don't want to tell my baby about the horrors of the past. I want her to live in her happy world of innocence, but sadly they can't live like that forever. Soon she will learn about it in school.

Peeta stirs beside me. He flips onto his side and looks at me sitting up. Yawning he asks,"did the baby wake you up?" I shake my head. "Nightmares?"

"Yeah." I sigh.

Peeta sits up and wraps his big arms around my small frame. He kisses my cheek and pulls me to his chest. I close my eyes and listen to the sound of his heartbeat. Once again, it calms me.

"It will all be okay, she'll understand Katniss." He says.

"That's what I'm afraid of. She is going to understand that we are murderers. That we killed people, Peeta. What if she hates us?"

"She won't hate us Katniss. She is going to understand that we had to do it." He says. Then a hint of a smile comes onto his face,"it did bring us together, after all."

"Peeta,"I sigh.

He kisses me and says,"stopping thinking too much."

"I can't,"I whine.

He starts to kiss me again and again slowly moving down my face and neck. He is about to kiss my collarbone when Rye starts to cry. I stand up and run to his crib. He starts to calm down when I pick him up. Holding him helps calm me down.

Peeta wraps his arms around me from behind and rests his head on my shoulder. I can hear his smile as he says,"we make beautiful children. Perfect little angels." He kisses my cheek and then strokes Rye's small patch of blonde hair.

"Do you want to hold him?"I ask.

"Sure,"he says letting go of my waist and moving to take Rye from my arms. A huge smile forms on his lips as he lightly bounces Rye. "Hi, baby boy,"he whispers to our son.

This scene is something I'll have to keep in my mind forever. Peeta looks so at peace with our child in his arms. I yawn and Peeta turns around and whispers,"go to sleep. I'll make sure he falls asleep again."

I kiss him on the cheek and decide to take his offer. But as I fall asleep, I am tortured with more nightmares. When I wake up again, it's light outside and Peeta is back in bed with me.

I hear the door crack, and see Willow poke her head through the crack. I smile when she catches my gaze. She tiptoes to me when she sees that Peeta is still asleep. "Good morning, baby girl,"I say to her quietly.

"Morning, mommy,"she says and crawls into bed with us.

"Lets wake daddy up,"I whisper to her. She nods her head and I motion for her to tickle him. I start to lightly tickle him under his noes with the end of my hair. His face twitches until his eyes pop open and he smiles at us.

He leans in to kiss her forehead, but then with quick arms he captures her and starts to tickle her. She laughs and screams as she is tickled. Peeta and I both laugh along with her.

But not everyone in the room finds it funny. Rye, who was sleeping, starts wailing loudly. Peeta and Willow instantly stop and look at me with wide eyes. I smile at them and say,"it's okay."

I get up and pick up Rye and cradle him in my arms. His loud cries turn into soft whimpers as I bounce him lightly.

"I'm sorry, did we wake you baby boy?"I say to him.

Peeta smiles at me from the bed and pats the spot next to him. I sit down and set Rye into Peeta's arms. Willow scoots up closer to me and asks,"can I hold him?"

I smile at her and Peeta says,"sure."

He sets him in her arms and kisses her forehead,"hold his head."

Peeta stands up and says,"I'm going to go make breakfast."

* * *

After breakfast, Peeta pulls me aside and says,"we need to talk to her today about the games."

"But she's so young-"

"Katniss, how old were we when we first learned about the games?" He asks.

"5. But that's different. We had to go in the games. She doesn't have to worry about going into any games."

"And she's almost 7. And that may be so, but she has to hear about her own parents not only going into the games, but a quarter quell, and being a leader of war. She needs to start learning now, Katniss."

I sigh, defeated. I know he's right. I just don't want to admit it.

"Fine,"I say quietly.

"We should let Haymitch and Johanna know." He says.

"You're right." I sigh.

Peeta walks around the corner and calls for Willow. She comes running towards us,"yeah, daddy?"

"We're going to grandpa's house." He says.

"Yay! I can't wait to go play with the geese!" She says excitedly.

"Go get your coat,"I say.

"Okay, mommy!" She says happily.

"I should call Johanna,"I tell Peeta.

He nods and follows me to the phone. I dial her number and wait for her to pick up the phone. "Hey Brainless,"she says,"what's up?"

"I need you and Gale to meet Peeta and I at Haymitch's house. It's important."

"Alright, we'll be there." She says without question.

When we arrive, Haymitch is asleep on his couch. I shake him until he wakes up, looking dazed. He still doesn't like to sleep at night. "Haymitch there's something important we need to talk to you about."

Just then, Johanna, Gale, and the boys walk in.

Johanna shoos the kids away to go play so that all of us can talk. We all gather at the table to discuss this dreaded topic.

"The kids are getting older. Soon they'll be learning about the games in class. I think it is time that we start to tell them about our past. It's better they learn from us, than the school."Peeta says.

"You're right. The boys have already started hearing things in school. It's just basic stuff. But it's the start." Johanna says.

"I'm scared to tell her,"I voice. "What if we freighter them?"

"They'll learn it eventually. Would you rather them hear that their mother killed people from the school or from you where you can explain why?" Johanna says.

"You're right, but I just don't want them to know at all."

"Sadly, the world doesn't work like that,"Gale says,"and its a part of our past. It's a part of history."

"The boy's got a point,"Haymitch says.

"Should we do it together or separate?"Peeta asks.

"Lets start out explaining separate. Then when they are old enough, we can gather them and show them the videos."Johanna says.

The videos. That thought scares me the most. It's bad enough that they have to learn about it. Why must they see it too?

"I agree."Peeta says.

"Me too." Gale says.

"Whatever,"Haymitch grumbles.

"Katniss?" Peeta says looking at me.

"Fine."

"When should we show them?"Gale asks.

"They start going in depth in sixth grade."Johanna says,"...When they're twelve."

"So it's settled."Peeta says.

"It's settled,"everyone agrees.


	92. The Hunger Games pt 2

Katniss pov

When Peeta, Willow, Rye, and I get home, we sit Willow down on the couch so that we can talk to her about the games. I am terrified. She's my baby, she can't be corrupted by the horrible world. Peeta takes my hand before he starts talking. He's doing most of the talking because Peeta has such a way with words. He can explain without scaring her.

"Willow, there's something really important that we need to talk to you about." He starts. She looks up at us like she's afraid and we haven't even started.

"Am I in trouble?" She asks, her lip pouting.

I smile and shake my head,"no, Willow. You're not in trouble. You haven't done anything wrong, we just need to talk to you about something important."

"Oh..."

"Willow, in school, you will be learning about something called The Hunger Games, have you ever heard of it before?" He asks.

She nods.

"Do you know what it is?" I ask.

She shakes her head.

"Well, it's a very important part of our history. Many years ago, there was an awful war. And a terrible man named Cornelius Snow was President. He made The Hunger Games... every year kids from the age 12-18 would be picked to fight each other in an arena."

"But you said fighting is bad-" she says.

"You are exactly right. Fighting is bad. The Hunger Games were a bad thing. Kids had to hurt each other. Until one person won."

"Bad kids! Did they get in trouble?"

"Well, sweetie, you need to understand that they had no choice. They made them go into the arena. This went on for 75 years."

"That's a long time!" She exclaims.

"It is,"I say.

"You see, Willow, on the 74th Hunger Games, your aunt Prim was picked to go to the games. Your mom didn't want her to get hurt, so she volunteered to go in for her. I was also picked to go in the games."

"Both played games?" She asks.

"Both of us were in the games. And Grandpa Haymitch was in the games many years before us. So he was our helper for our games." Peeta agrees.

"The games had rules. One of the rules were, there could only be one winner. But you dad and I won together, which made the president unhappy."

"But that's a good thing?"

"Yes, it was good that we both won, but he didn't like having two winners so he mad us very unhappy. And we had to play another game. This game was played by all the winners. So it was harder."

"Your Aunt Johanna and Uncle Finnick were also in it. They were each a winner from different games. We all battled our way through the games, until there was a plan. Your Aunt and I went to do one thing and your father and Uncle went to do another. Then something happened, and we were all separated..." tears start to form in my eyes as I think about the night. It was the last time I truly saw Peeta as himself.

"The capitol took your aunt and I,"Peeta says,"and they would beat us. They did horrible things to us... your mom and Uncle were in district 13. And she became the leader of the rebellion."

"Then we saved you,"I say as I take his hand. He smiles at me and wipes a tear from my face.

"Yes, you guys got me out of that horrible place."

"But you see, Willow,"Peeta ads,"I wasn't the same person I was before. The capitol people did something to me to make me hate your mother. That's why some days I have flashbacks. It's the left over poison."

"You hate mommy?" She asks.

Peeta smiles at her and shakes his head,"not anymore. They cured me for the most part. I love you and your mother more than anything in the world."

"Love you too, daddy,"she says.

"Do you have any questions?" Peeta asks. Willow shakes her head.

"You are going to be hearing a lot about the hunger games in school. You'll also be hearing a lot about mommy and daddy in school too."

"And Grandpa Haymitch, and Aunt Johanna and Uncle Gale. And Uncle Finnick and Aunt Annie."

"Okay,"she says nodding her head.

"If you ever have any questions, you ask us, okay?" Peeta says.

"Okay."

I press a kiss to her forehead. Then she asks,"can I go play now?"

"Yes, you can go play now." I say.

As soon as she's out of the room, I break down. Peeta holds me and says,"it's okay, Katniss."

"This is only the beginning, Peeta." I cry.

"We still have years before she actually sees the videos." He says as he holds me.

"I know, but eventually she's going to have to see them and she's going to have questions and we will have to tell her about the horrors... She's going to see us kill people, Peeta! She's going to see you die and be brought back. And... And the videos from thirteen. The one's of you while you were still hijacked."

"She'll understand."

"I can't see you like that again."

"Katniss, you aren't going to like this, but I think we should watch the videos before we show her. We can prepare ourselves for it."

"But your flashbacks what if you-"

"We'll make sure she's out of the house. Maybe Haymitch will take her for the night. Plus, I'm able to control them more now."

"I'm so scared,"I tell him.

"I am too... but we've been through so much together. We've been through two games, a rebellion, a hijacking, two pregnancies, and two births, two children. We can do this too, Katniss."

"I love you, Peeta."

"I love you too, Katniss,"he says kissing me.

That's when I hear Rye's cries coming from the other room. I walk into the other room and cradle him in my arms. Peeta wraps his arms around me and smiles at our son. "Looks like someone was feeling left out,"he says.

Willow comes running into the room with a paper and hands it to Peeta. "This is for you and mommy!"She says excitedly.

"I love it!"Peeta says as we look at it together.

It's a picture of our family. And not just the four of us, but all 14 of us. Peeta, me, Rye, Willow, Johanna, Gale, Aspen, Aaron, Liam, Haymitch, Effie, Mom, Annie, and Finn. Our whole family. Then I notice two angels in the sky.

"What's this?" I ask her.

"Grandpa, and Auntie Prim."

"It's beautiful,"I say with tears in my eyes.

"I love it,"I say and kiss her. I smile at my three miracles. I survived hell, to get here. To get my three miracles, Peeta, Willow, and Rye. And I'll go through it again, and again, if I have to.

A/N I just want to apologize. We had a power outage and then it screwed up our WiFi so I couldn't write for a few days, but now I'm back! Hope you enjoyed this!


	93. Family day

Katniss pov

I wake up to Peeta kissing me. I giggle as I wrap my arms around him and kiss his nose. He smiles at me and presses a kiss to my lips. I try to think of why he could be so happy, but come up with nothing. Finally I give up and say,"okay, what's going on? Why are you so happy this morning?"

"Can't a husband just be happy and love his wife?"

"I guess, but I know there's a reason. Give it up bread boy." I say pointing at him.

"There's nothing-"He starts. Then I remember what day it is. It's the anniversary of Prim's death. He's trying to make sure that I don't remember. I sigh and try to fight the tears. Peeta automatically notices my mood change and gives me a sad look.

"I'm sorry, Katniss. I was hoping that today could just blow by without a tear but-"

"How could I possibly forget about the day my sister died!"I cry.

"Hey, look at me. You were a wonderful sister. Her death is not your fault and you shouldn't beat yourself up over it. It was an extremely unfortunate accident. We all loved Prim, but no one as much as you. And she loved you too, and wouldn't want you to be sad. She would want you to have a great day with your two kids who she would have just adored. So that's what we are going to do. It's a nice day, so we are taking the kids to the lake. Okay? And we are going to celebrate the wonderful spirit of Primrose Everdeen."

I nod as I sniffle. He's right.

"I love you,"he says and kisses me.

"I love you to, Peeta." I lean forward and hug him tightly. His arms wrap around me as he holds me tightly to him. He rests his head on the top of mine as I rest mine in the crook of his neck.

I cry into his chest, thinking of my beautiful little sister. My little duck. My Prim.

"I see her everywhere,"I whisper to him,"I see her in our children. I see her in the flowers. I see her in the sunshine..."

"She's with you, Katniss. She's all around you." He says. "Just remember, she's with your father and they are happy and watching over you. I can imagine that they are both so proud of you. Of who you've become. You are such a wonderful mother and wife, Katniss. And I am so blessed to call you mine."

"Peeta, you are the most amazing husband in the world,"I say. I look at him from my place against his chest. He leans down to kiss me again and then lifts me in his arms. He sets me down on his lap and pulls me even closer to him.

I close my eyes and whisper my love for him.

"Today, we are going to take a happy family trip to the lake. It's so beautiful outside, the kids will love it. Plus, Willow knows how to swim. We can even invite Haymitch if you want."

"I think I want it to just be us."I say.

"Okay,"he says and kisses me.

He helps me up and leads me to the stairs, as I pass by Rye's room, I see movement. I walk in to find Rye awake. I pick him up and kiss his forehead. "Hi, handsome,"I coo to him.

He reaches out to me and gurggles affectionately at me. "Ma ma ma ma-"he says. I stare at him surprised. Did he just say mama?

"Mama,"I say to him.

"Mama!" He says happily.

"You just said your first word!"I say and call to Peeta. "Peeta! Come here!"

I hear his heavy footsteps as he runs into the room. "What is it?" He says breathlessly.

"Rye just said his first word!"

"Really?!" His face lights up.

"Mama!"Rye says.

"Oh my God! He just said mama!"Peeta says.

"I know!"

I hand him over to Peeta and he says,"say dada."

"Mama."

"Dada,"Peeta pushes

"Mama."

Peeta just rolls his eyes and says,"I give up."

* * *

Peeta holds Willow's hand as I carry Rye in a sling on my back. In Peeta's other hand is a bag with a picnic and a few other things. My bow is in my hand. I'm extremely careful as I walk.

I wouldn't want to fall with Rye on my back. I'm also really vigilant.

Willow skips and jumps, and Peeta is there, lifting her up onto rocks she can't reach. When we finally get to the lake, it's about noon.

"It's so pretty!"Willow says in awe.

"When I was your age, my dad use to take me out here and we would hunt,"I tell her.

Peeta sets up the picnic as I get Rye out of the carrier. I set him down on his tummy on the blanket next to Peeta. Willow picks flowers near us before sitting down to eat lunch.

As I look at my children, I try not to think of what today is.

"Look, mommy, I made you a crown out of flowers." She says handing it to me.

"Thank you,"I say and lean in to kiss her forehead. She places it on my head and tells me I look really pretty.

"Not as pretty as you, my little sapling."I say poking her nose, which causes her to giggle.

As we eat, I name different plants and animals. Willow points to a bird in a nearby tree and asks me what it is. I look at it for a moment, then freeze. I recognize that bird. How could I not? "It's a mockingjay."

"Wow! It's pretty."

Peeta looks at me and says,"it is a very strong, beautiful, wonderful bird." Only I understand what he is really talking about.

Then she points to a tree across the lake. It's tall and droopy. It's branches hang like a waterfall, and sway in the breeze. "That's called a Weeping Willow. Like what you were named after. It's a very strong tree. Not to mention the beauty. Just like you."

"It's one of my favorites,"Peeta says.

Rye starts to fuss, so I give him a bottle and rock him to sleep for his nap. Soon, Willow starts to get antsy about swimming. "It's okay, you can go ahead without me,"I tell Peeta.

He shakes his head and says,"here, I'll stay with him, and you can go ahead and swim with her." I pass our son off to him and strip to my bathing suit. Willow is already running to the lake by the time I'm standing.

The district built a pool not too long ago. Whenever Annie and Finn come, they take Willow to it. She's a marvelous swimmer. I've been to the pool a few times with her, but nothing compares to coming out here.

"Come on, mom!"She says.

I smile and follow her into the cold water. I shiver but she just runs in like it's nothing. I look back to Peeta, who is smiling at us. I slowly sink into the water until I am in all the way.

I wish I could have taken Prim out here. She would have loved it, just like how my daughter does. If only I could have my father, sister, husband, and children here at the same time.

Tears prick at my eyes at the thought of all the people I love together in this beautiful place.

When it starts to get cold, and the sun starts to go down, Peeta and I decide it's time to go home. As we are leaving, I look back at the lake and imagine my father and Prim standing there, smiling and laughing.

A tear rolls down my face and I turn away from the image. "You okay?"Peeta asks, when he notices my hesitation.

"Yeah. I'm okay,"I say, and this time I mean it.


	94. Epilogue

A/N so I have decided to end this story with that last chapter. And I just want to say that I am very proud of this, you guys are all so amazing! I mean over 500 reviews! That's awesome. Thank you for your overwhelming support on this story! I love you all, and because I love you all so much, I've decided to make an epilogue which shows the children seeing the video of the games. This takes place 12 years later when Rye is 12 and Willow is 17.

I hope you enjoy this little extra chapter!

Epilogue

Today my biggest fears come true.

Today we show the kids our tapes from the games. The horror brought to eyes again. Peeta tells me it will be okay, but the fear is still there. Will it scare my children? They will watch as I murder people.

It was for Prim, I tell myself. It was for Peeta. It was to survive.

I crawl into the attic where we kept every evidence of the games. In a box in the far corner, the tapes lay packed. They are covered with dust and webs. I blow off the dust and read the title.

"The 74th Hunger Games: Katniss Everdeen/Peeta Mellark."

"The 75th Hunger Games: Quarter Quell."

Inside the box is other elements from the games, like a parachute and my hospital bracelets. Everything but my pearl and Amulet are in here. I pick up the box of my nightmares and make my way downstairs where my family is.

We've decided that we'll watch our own games with our children and then watch the Quell all together. Except for Annie who has already been through all of this since Finn is way older than any of our children. And she shouldn't have to go through this again. But Finn will be there because he wants to see his father.

I set the box down and take out the tape. Peeta looks at me with an emotionless face. I pop it in, and then sit down next to him. He wraps his arm around me and clasps our hands.

We both flinch when we hear the anthem playing.

It starts with the symbol and then goes to Ceaser Flickerman and Cladius Templesmith. They do an intro for the games and then it cuts over to district one's reaping. I watch as Marvel and Glimmer volunteer.

Both of which I killed.

My mind flashes to when I dropped that tracker jacker nest on Glimmer and then took her bow. And then to when I shot Marvel after he killed Rue. I use to be angry at them for being mindless killers, but now looking back. I can't blame them. They were just pawns. Children brainwashed to kill.

Then two.

Clove and Cato.

She was talented for all the wrong reasons.

And Cato was looking for victory in the wrong way.

And Foxface was very smart, but was ignorant in the end.

And sweet sweet Rue. She was too pure for the games. She deserved better. And Thresh, who truly was a good person.

We lived in a circle of horror.

I killed Glimmer and Marvel, who killed Rue, who wouldn't hurt a butterfly. Peeta was stabbed by Cato, who I killed, who killed Thresh, who killed Clove, who tried to kill me.

Then District 12 is shown.

Effie pulls out Prim's name. I volunteer. I watch with tears in my eyes as my sister screams in Gale's arms as he pulls her away as I'm being taken to the front.

By now, my children know about Effie and Haymitch and the rolls they played. Peeta tightens his grip on me as his name is pulled. Together we watch 16 and 17 year old us stand on the platform together.

I was still a child. In fact I was younger than Willow is now. She's the same age as Peeta was when he was picked.

"Woah, you guys were so young!" Rye says.

"Damn mom, you were beautiful!"Willow says.

I smile at my daughter for a brief second before I hear Effie announce our names. "Katniss Everdeen and Peeta Mellark."

We've come so far. We use to be scared children just trying to survive. Now we need each other to survive.

"What was going through your head when you saw each other be picked?" Willow asks.

"I remember thinking 'no not him'. I felt in debt to him because of the bread. I didn't want to have to kill him in the arena, but I needed to come back for Prim."

"I was thinking about how ironic it was that I was always so scared to talk to her, and now when I could talk to her, it would be in these circumstances."

When the tribute parade is shown. Our kids are amazed when they see that we are literally on fire.

Next the interviews show. I try to block all of them out, but the voices of those who I killed fill my mind. There's a girl from 7 who Peeta cringes at and I see a tear roll down his face. He must have killed her.

Then finally, it's my interview.

I watch as Ceaser welcomes me and asks me my first question, but I hear nothing because I'm so focused on the crowd.

"What?"I say snapping out of it.

"I was just saying how brave it was of you to volunteer for your sister." He says laughing.

Peeta nudges me as we watch this and says,"I always wanted to tell you how beautiful you looked that night."

"You looked so handsome that night,"I say,"sorry I ruined it by shoving you into a vase."

He smiles and says,"I've healed."

My children watch in amazement as I twirl and my dress catches on fire.

"Katniss Everdeen, the girl on fire!" Ceaser announces.

Next is Peeta's interview.

"So tell me, Peeta, is there a girl back home?" Ceaser asks him.

He blushes and looks down,"no, not really."

"Oh come on, a handsome boy like you, tell me Peeta." Ceaser says.

"Well, there is this one girl,"young Peeta says,"but I doubt she ever noticed me until the reaping."

"Well, this is what you're gonna do. You're gonna win the games and when you come back, she'll have to go out with you."

"I don't think that's going to work." He says.

"And why not?" Ceaser asks looking worried.

"Because she came here with me." He says.

Willow awes and says,"dad that's so sweet!"

"Oh, that's unfortunate..." Ceaser says in the video. "The best of luck to you."

"How did you react when you heard all that mom?" Rye asks.

Peeta and I both chuckle a little at my reaction. "I yelled at him and pushed your father into a glass vase which cut his hands."

"What? Why!" They say.

"I thought he made me look weak, but I was wrong. He helped me."

Next they announce the scores. Peeta got an 8. And I got an 11.

"Whoa you got an 11? That's higher than anyone in history!"

"It was because I shot an arrow at them. They wanted me to be a target for the careers."

The next thing that shows is the beginning of the games. Peeta holds me tighter as we watch the clock count down. It shows all the careers getting ready to run. Then I see myself catch sight of that bow. Then I look at Peeta who is shaking his head at me.

Then the gong rings and everyone takes off, except for me who is too stunned to move. It shows the ruthless murder of children. I watch as Cato stabs a little boy hiding in the cornucopia.

I run through the arena and grab that orange bag, using it to shield myself from that boy who tried to stab me. Then he is killed by Clove. The commentary speaks of the careers, and then they talk about how Peeta ran away from the cornucopia. How he acquired no equipment.

"Why'd you do that, dad?"Rye asks.

"Your grandpa had told us not to be sucked into the bloodbath. He told us to just run and find water."

It's focused mostly on the careers. I watch as Peeta comes out into the clearing with his hands up in the air. All the careers arm themselves, but Cato is the one who walks forward. This, I've never seen before.

"I can help you find her,"he yells.

"Wait, let me get this right. You- lover boy will help us find your little precious girl on fire?" Clove asks.

"We all have to survive some way,"Peeta says.

"Dad!"our kids say, completely taken aback.

"I did it to save us both. I knew there was some way I could protect her if I joined them. Not that your mother needed any protection. If anything, I was the one who needed protecting."Peeta says.

I lean in and kiss him.

We turn back to the screen and continue to watch as Peeta persuades the careers to let him join them. Peeta was always good with words.

"Fine." Cato says. "But I'm watching you."

Then it switches over to a few other tributes. After a few minutes, it shows me sleeping in the tree. There's noise signaling the start of the fallen tributes. Then it shows the careers and Peeta walking near me.

The girl with the fire is spotted, and we watch in horror as they make Peeta kill her. I hold onto Peeta, trying to comfort him. I look at his face to find it stone hard. Our kids are silent.

"Where is she lover boy?" Cato asks.

"That was her snare back there. She's gotta close."

We watch other tributes for a while, until it flashes to me. I'm half asleep when the first fire ball is thrown. I drop out of the tree and start to run. I dodge another one, but the next one catches my leg. I scream in pain until I reach the water.

That's when I hear them.

The careers.

I run as fast as I can to the tree and climb it, the careers close behind me. Cato tries to climb up after me but the branch breaks and he falls to the ground. I hold back a laugh as I continue to climb.

Next Glimmer shoots an arrow and misses horribly. "Why don't you throw the knife,"I yell to them. Peeta and I both start to laugh a little as we watch this part.

Young Peeta looks at me with sad eyes as he watches the careers attempt to catch me. He looks at me before saying,"why don't you just wait her out. She's gotta come down sometime." He buys me more time.

My first parachute lands right above me with the medicine. I apply it to my burnt leg and watch as it heals me.

I tear up when I see Rue point to the nest that I drop onto them. She was too pure for that arena. I cringe at myself when I see me grab the bow from a plump Glimmer. I know that helped me, but I'm slightly disgusted.

I watch as Peeta runs up and tells me to go. We watch as I stumble around and finally pass out. Rue jumps down from the tree and starts to help me. Then it switches over to the careers.

They are fighting with each other. And that's when Cato starts to yell at Peeta for letting me get away. I watch in horror as he stabs him in the leg and pushes him to the ground. Peeta tries to put up a fight but can't.

"Let me finish him!"Clove yells but Cato stops her.

"Let him suffer from an infection. Come on, let's go."

The next thing that shows is Foxface trailing a few people and stealing supplies. She was very sneaky.

After a few minutes of that, it shows me again. I'm waking to find that Rue has helped me. I watch as she teases me about Peeta and we make our plan to destroy the supplies.

I try to prepare myself for what's going to happen soon. We watch as we set up the fires and make our code. Next it shows me at the center, blowing up the supplies. I fall back from the blast.

I remember being deaf in my left ear after that. I take off running in search of Rue. But I'm too late. She's in the trap. My nightmare for a long time is being played out in front of my children.

Marvel throws the spear and I shoot him with an arrow. For the first time, I purposely kill someone. And my children watch. Peeta's grip on my hand tightens and he kisses my knuckles.

"You don't have to watch this,"he whispers but I shake my head. No, I must watch.

"Can you sing for me, Katniss?"Rue asks.

I cry as I hold her and start to sing my lullaby. The one I sang to my children. To Prim. For a second time, I see Rue fade away from me. I start to rock back and forth as I cry next to her. Then I gather flowers and give her a proper burial.

As I stand, I lift three fingers to my lips and raise them to the sky.

It switches over to Peeta who is covering himself with the mud and rocks. He looks so sick and in pain. He winces when he has to cover his leg. It shows me searching for him by following his blood trail.

It stops and I call out for him. Little did I know that I was right next to him. His hand comes up and grabs my ankle. I jump, nearly falling over.

"Whoa, dad! You couldn't even see you!"Willow says amazed.

"Decorating cakes came in handy." He says.

We turn back to the video to see me helping him to the river. I help him undress, so I can clean his clothes. I cover Willow's eyes because they don't sensor anything. Peeta teases me about being pure as I wash his clothes.

It's funny to think how far we've come. Before I would blush just at the thought of him, now I barely bat an eye at his nudity. "No so pure anymore,"Peeta whispers for only me to hear.

I smile at him and roll my eyes.

Next it shows us finding the cave. I put some of that medicine on his cut but he has blood poisoning so it does little to help. I lean into kiss him briefly. It's humorous really. That kiss was horrible! I completely understand Haymitch's note now.

The parachute lands outside the cave with the soup. It shows me feeding Peeta and then us cuddling before it switches to Thresh.

"So wait, you guys didn't actually like each other at that time?"Willow asks.

"Well, I've been in love with your mom since I was 5. But shedidn't love me until the quell, and even then she didn't know that she loved me yet."

"Our love story here was just to survive, but as things went on, I realized I really did love your dad,"I say.

He kisses me on the cheek and then says,"I love you, Katniss."

"I love you too, Peeta."

Next is the announcement of the feast.

Younger Peeta grabs younger me and says,"no, Katniss. It's just a trap to pull you in."

"But your medicine. You need it." I say.

"Katniss-" he starts but I lean in and kiss him hard.

"I can't let you go,"he says.

I hear another parachute. This one has the sleep medicine. I slip it into his food and wait for him to sleep. I take off to the feast where I watch Foxface run straight into the middle and get her bag. After a minute of waiting I take off.

Clove rushes after me and attacks me. Peeta gasps beside me. He's never actually seen this part. He's heard about it though.

She taunts me about rue and runs the knife across my face. That's when Thresh grabs her and yells at her about Rue. Then he smashes her against the side of the cornucopia.

"Only this time, 12,"he says to me,"for Rue."

I nod and take off running in the opposite direction.

It shows Cato running up to Clove who is dead on ground. He bends down and I think I see a tear roll down his face before he gets up, grabbing his sword and walking away from the scene, his head down.

It shows me back at the cave, injecting the medicine into Peeta's arm before I run a hand on my bloody forehead and I pass out.

When Peeta comes to, he panics seeing the blood. I watch as he bandages my cut and tucks me into the sleeping bag with him.

When I wake up, he tells me about the wonders of that medicine and then he takes care of me. I smile as I watch younger Peeta wrap my feet into his jacket, trying to keep younger me warm.

It shows Thresh being killed by Cato before it goes back to us. It shows Peeta telling the story of when he first fell in love with me.

"Peeta,"I said,"You said at interview you'd had a crush on me forever. When did forever stay?"

"Oh, let's see. I guess the first day of school. We were five. You had on a red plaid dress and your hair... it was in two braids instead of one. My father pointed you out when we were waiting to line up."

"Your father? Why?"

"He said, 'see that little girl? I wanted to marry her mother, but she ran off with a coal miner,' " Peeta says.

"Wait, what!" Our children say turning to us.

Peeta nods. "It's true. My father was in love with your grandma. But she fell in love with your grandpa. But clearly it worked out for the best." He says smiling at me.

Our lips meet at the same time that they meet in the video. Only the video one is broken up by the noise of a parachute landing outside the cave.

Peeta and I both laugh when we start to talk about how Haymitch hated me. Oh how things have changed.

"Grandpa use to drink?" Rye asks.

"Yes, it was how he coped after his games. He was always drunk and very angry. But we asked him to stop when we found out I was pregnant with your sister."

We continue to watch the video and I notice exactly how many sneaky little kisses Peeta got in there. I smile to myself. I glance over at my husband. He's no longer that scared love sick boy he was in the arena.

Specks of grey are mixed in with his blonde hair, and there are a few wrinkles by his eyes. But he's just as handsome, and twice as sweet. Peeta definitely aged well. It's funny to think of how shy I use to be.

I use to be so scared to kiss him. Now I'm scared if he doesn't kiss me.

The next day it's clear enough to hunt. Peeta gathers as I hunt. We separate until I hear the sound of the cannon. It shows Peeta gathering nightlock and Foxface tailing him.

"Nightlock,"my kids say under their breath.

As soon as Peeta hears the cannon he's on the look for me. We run into each other and hold on tightly. "I heard the cannon,"I say then glance at his hands. I knock the berries out of his hand and say,"that's nightlock, Peeta! You'll be dead in a minute!"

"I'm sorry. I didn't know..."He says scared.

"Damn you,"I cry.

"I'm sorry,"he whispers into my shoulder.

Soon comes the part with the mutts. I hold onto Peeta tightly as I see the eyes of Rue in a mutt. Peeta and I run to the cornucopia with Cato chasing after us. I attempt to shoot him but he has body armor.

A mutt gets a hold of Peeta's leg, which later on causes him to lose his leg.

He gets a hold of me and starts choking me until Peeta is able to push him off. But that's when he gets a hold of Peeta. Both our children gasp as Cato holds Peeta and threatens to snap his neck.

"Shoot me and he goes down with me."

Peeta draws an X on Cato's hand until I realize what he means. Then I shot him in the hand and Peeta pushes him off. His screams fill our ears. The gamemakers prolonged Cato's death for entertainment.

I run over to Peeta and wrap a touniquet around his leg, hoping to keep him from bleeding to death. After a long night, Peeta tells me to shoot him with the arrow keeping his tourniquet together.

The cannon fires and Cato is dead. But nothing happens besides the mutts going into a hole. Peeta and I look at each other confused until we hear Cladius Templesmith.

"Greetings to final contestants of the Seventy-fourth Hunger Games. The earlier revision has been reviewed. Close examination ha disclosed that only one winner may be allowed. Good luck and may the odds be ever in your favor."

"That's not fair!" Our kids shout in anger.

"Do it,"Peeta says giving up.

"I can't. I won't."

"Do it, before send mutts. I don't die like Cato."

"Then you shoot me." I say.

"You know I can't."

"Fine, I'll be the first to go anyways,"he says reaching to rip off his bandage.

"No! You can't kill yourself!"

"It's what I want."

"No, you're not leaving me alone here."

"Listen,"he says,"we both know that there needs to be a Victor. It can only be one of us. Take it, for me."

"No, I won't let you."

I pull out the berries and say,"trust me. On the count of three."

"Wait, but mom-" Rye says but trails off.

"The count of three."

"One."

"Two."

"Three."

"Stop! Stop! Ladies and gentlemen, I am pleased to present the Victors of the Seventy-fourth Hunger Games, Katniss Everdeen and Peeta Mellark! I give you the tributes of District Twelve!"

Peeta and I cling to each other in relief.

As we watch this, I turn to Peeta and kiss him. I'm glad that we didn't kill each other or ourselves at the end. I wouldn't have this wonderful life without him.

It shows our crowning next and then our interview after where Peeta shows everyone his new leg. When that is all done I take out the tape and reach for the next but I accidentally grab the wrong one. This one says "bonus footage".

"Peeta, come look at this."I say. He stands and walks over to where I am.

"What is this?"He asks.

"I'm not sure."

"Should we find out?" He asks.

"I guess."

I pop it in, and sit down next to Peeta.

The first thing that shows is Peeta sitting on the roof of the train at night. I recognize this. It's when Peeta says that he doesn't want to be a piece in their game. I walk up to Peeta and sit down next to him.

They were filming all this time. I knew that. But I didn't know they kept it.

After this, it turns to a part after out first games. It's me asleep but I'm screaming. Peeta runs in right as I wake up. "It was just a nightmare. I get them too."

He goes to walk away but I say,"wait Peeta... stay with me?"

He walks over to the bed and gets in. I lay my head on hos chest and he wraps his arms around me. "Always."

The next thing that shows is us having our picnic. I'm laying on his lap while he plays with my hair. "I wish I could freeze this moment and stay in it forever,"he says.

"Me too."

As we watch this, Peeta grabs my hand and says,"I'm finally living that moment, but now it's even better."

I smile at my husband and he says,"you love me, real or not real."

"Real. Very real."


End file.
